[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3525]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          NO JOBS PLAN AND ASSAULT ON MIDDLE CLASS HOMEOWNERS

  (Mr. SIRES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. SIRES. Mr. Speaker, the Republicans have been in control of this 
Chamber for the last 10 weeks now, and we have taken 164 recorded 
votes. Yet they still have no plan to create jobs and spur economic 
growth.
  Instead of tackling unemployment, my Republican colleagues have now 
turned their efforts toward eliminating vital programs that are helping 
families deal with the fallout of the mortgage crisis.
  Seven million families have lost their homes with another 3 million 
foreclosures expected through 2012. And what is the Republicans' 
response to this crisis? They want to terminate programs designed to 
help homeowners keep their houses and avoid foreclosures.
  This week they will bring a bill to the floor that will abolish a 
program that makes temporary loans to unemployed homeowners to help 
cover mortgage payments until they can find a job.
  Mr. Speaker, it is bad enough that they have no plan in sight to 
bring Americans back to work; but to actually put their energy towards 
ending programs that are helping the unemployed during difficult times 
is unacceptable.
  I urge my colleagues to stop cutting programs that will keep American 
families in their homes and focus the legislation on creating jobs and 
move the economy forward.

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