[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 623-624]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   STANDING TOGETHER FOR THE ECONOMY

  (Mr. HIMES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HIMES. Madam Speaker, tonight the President of the United States 
will stand in this Chamber and discharge his constitutional obligation 
to address the State of the Union for the Congress. I understand that 
many of my

[[Page 624]]

colleagues will be sitting together in a bipartisan way, and I think 
that's a good thing. What I really hope, though, is that we get 
commonsensical about where we are tomorrow, that as we talk about the 
economy, we agree that we should cut regulations which serve no purpose 
but to stifle industry, but that we should not attack the rules which 
keep our air clean and our water drinkable.
  We can and we must reduce the deficit and get our fiscal house in 
order, but do not try to persuade the American public that we can fail 
to invest in schools, in railways, in highways, and in networks that 
will provide economic prosperity for decades to come.
  I'm glad my colleagues are going to be sitting together in this 
Chamber tonight. What I really hope is that tomorrow we are standing 
together behind commonsensical changes that will make this economy 
strong.

                          ____________________