[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2457]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        A REPUBLICAN ALTERNATIVE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Pence) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PENCE. Our Nation is in a recession, and millions of Americans 
are hurting. Many have lost their jobs. Many more millions worry that 
they will be next. It is absolutely right that our new President and 
this Congress take decisive action to stimulate this economy. But the 
legislation brought to the floor last week and the legislation being 
considered on the Senate floor this week in the form of the Democrat 
stimulus bill is not the answer.
  Last week, House Republicans unanimously rejected the so-called 
stimulus bill that was brought to the floor by Democratic leadership, 
and we urge our Senate colleagues to do likewise. House Republicans 
unanimously opposed the Democrat spending bill for a variety of 
reasons. But, among them first, the bill that Democrats brought to the 
House was not about stimulating this economy, but more about 
stimulating government and debt.
  It included wasteful government spending that has nothing to do with 
creating jobs. As I asked on this floor last week, what does $50 
million to the National Endowment for the Arts have to do with creating 
jobs in Indiana? What is $400 million for climate change research going 
to do to move people from the unemployment line to the factory line?
  In legislation before the Senate this week, $20 million for the 
removal of small- to medium-sized fish passage barriers; or $25 million 
to rehabilitate off-roading trails for ATVs is not going to put this 
economy back on track. And it was exactly that kind of wasteful 
government spending that resulted in unanimous Republican opposition 
last week.
  Well, the average American is starting to catch on. We are starting 
to see support for this so-called stimulus bill eroding around the 
country. And leading economists are catching on as well. As the 
Republican leader just said moments ago, we opposed this bill 
unanimously, not just for what was in it, but for what wasn't in it.
  The Republicans have what we believe to be and what history proves is 
a better solution to get this economy moving again. Republicans 
proposed a broad range of fast-acting tax relief proposals that would 
bring immediate relief to working families and small businesses, giving 
the American people and American families more of their hard-earned 
dollars to get this economy moving again.
  The bill that House Democrats brought to the floor last week was not 
then about stimulating the economy. Under the guise of stimulus, House 
Democrats brought a partisan bill to the floor. It was really more of a 
wish list of longstanding liberal priorities that have little to do 
with putting our economy back on its feet.
  Now, having originally promised that a stimulus bill would be 
temporary and targeted, House Democrats brought to the floor this week, 
and the Senate is considering now, legislation that is more about, as 
the Speaker said, and I quote her with great respect, ``taking America 
in a new direction.''
  Well, respectfully, Madam Speaker, I thought what we were doing was 
trying to pass a temporary stimulus bill that would create jobs, not 
reorder all the priorities of the Federal Government along liberal 
Democratic lines.
  The truth be told, not only are the American people catching on about 
this bill, but many leading economists are. Some 300 economists 
recently published a full-page newspaper advertisement opposing this 
bill. Conservative economist Martin Feldstein, who last year declared 
his support for a fiscal stimulus bill, came out late last week 
describing the legislation that came before the House as ``an $800 
billion mistake.''
  Feldstein wrote, I believe in the Washington Post, ``The problem with 
the current stimulus bill is not that it is too big, but that it 
delivers too little extra employment and income for such a large fiscal 
deficit. It is worth taking the time to get it right.''
  House Republicans, leading economists, and average Americans are 
opposing this so-called stimulus bill for one reason, and one reason 
only. It won't work. And it's a disservice to taxpayers.
  More big government spending on a liberal wish list of programs won't 
cure what ails the American economy. And House Republicans do have a 
better solution--fast-acting tax relief for working families and small 
businesses. And, according to analysis and economic models used by 
President Obama's own economic advisors, when those models are applied 
to our plan, the results are clear--not the 2 million to 3 million jobs 
that the Democrat plan boasts that it will create in the next several 
years. Rather, 6 million jobs would be created under the Republican 
proposal, at half the cost. Twice the number of jobs at half the cost.
  Better solutions. Let's put politics aside and do what is best for 
the American people.

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