House Democratic Caucus Press Conference with Rep. Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. Hoyer (D-MD), Rep. Clyburn (D-SC), Rep. Emanuel (D-IL, Rep. Larson (D-CT) and Rep. Edwards (D-TX)
Statement
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REP. HOYER: I thank the Leader for yielding. Although I didn't hear all her comments because I was a little late, I echo her focus. First of all, as I said this morning, we had a very good year last year, and we had a very good year in focusing on people who are working hard in our country so that they can have more of the dollars that they need to live on and help support their families, in raising the minimum wage and bringing college costs down and trying to make their health care costs more affordable.
The fact of the matter is our economy is struggling. We had the best economy in my lifetime from approximately 1994 to approximately 2001. That economy over the last six years has not done for working Americans what it should have done. They are now struggling. They are challenged and we need to respond.
As the Speaker has said, we want to respond in a positive, speedy, bipartisan fashion. We need to give a stimulus to this economy to ensure that it does -- or to try to make sure that it does not go into recession, which economists tell us the economic programs of this administration have led us to. We want to work together with the administration. The president comes back today and we'll be meeting with him, but we are working very hard, the leadership under Speaker Pelosi, has worked over the last month to try to come together with ideas.
But as I said this morning, we come with no preconditions with the administration. We want to act together. We want to act quickly and we want to act in a targeted way to help those most challenged by the economic downturn that we have confronted.
So I know that all of us will be working very hard together. The Speaker and I and others will be meeting with the Republican leadership of the House to discuss ways that we can work together to accomplish that objective in the very near future.
Mr. Clyburn, the Democratic Whip.
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REP. HOYER: I would just add, in talking to the chairman of the Federal Reserve, it is his view that we need to move ahead in partnership on this issue. Obviously, he's indicating he's going to play his role. And we both -- everybody here, I think, has talked to him about playing a role that we can play. Again, I think what the Speaker has indicated, together, working in a positive, bipartisan fashion, we can make a difference for the working men and women of this country and for our economy.
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