[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 1]
[HOU]
[Page 838]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             WORKING TOGETHER ON BEHALF OF AMERICAN PEOPLE

  (Ms. KELLY of Illinois asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, last night President Obama called 
on Congress to work together on behalf of the American people. It is a 
call I hear from my constituents in Illinois every day. So as we begin 
the 114th Congress, I rise on their behalf to urge my colleagues to 
rise above partisanship, to strengthen our economy and put even more 
Americans back to work.
  Today, all signs point to our economy being the strongest it has been 
in nearly a decade. Businesses are flourishing. We have gained nearly 3 
million new jobs. But there are still 8.7 million Americans living in 
the shadow of the economic crisis who are struggling with chronic 
unemployment. They deserve a Congress that is focused and united in 
putting them back to work.
  Let's work to reduce the tax burden on the middle class, putting more 
money in their pockets and making it easier for them to afford their 
homes and to send their kids to school so that the American Dream is 
within everyone's reach. Americans want a Congress that can overcome 
partisan gridlock to put the people first.
  I urge my colleagues to put politics aside, to find a middle ground 
to help our middle class and put more Americans on the path to 
opportunity and prosperity.

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