Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act of 2008

Floor Speech

RECOVERY REBATES AND ECONOMIC STIMULUS FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ACT OF 2008 -- (House of Representatives - January 29, 2008)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. I thank the chairman for those generous remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend Speaker Pelosi and commend Leader BOEHNER for working together to bring this package before us and working in
conjunction with the President. Speaker Pelosi, I think, was correct in reaching out to the President first through letter and then, of course, by making sure that we could bring to fruition this important package. It wouldn't happen, though, without the leadership of CHARLIE RANGEL and JIM MCCRERY, who have epitomized in this Chamber what working together is all about and the productive results that can come from that.

I am so pleased and honored to see that this package reaches out to 35 million people, 35 million Americans who would otherwise never know the benefits of a stimulus package and debunks once and for all the myth that they do not pay taxes. They pay the most regressive of taxes. And, therefore, this is money that will help stimulate this economy immediately. And, again, I commend the leadership for coming up with this progressive approach.

We also recognize that there is much more that needs to be done as well. Again, I want to commend our chairman, CHARLIE RANGEL, for recognizing the kind of long-term stimulus that we're going to need.

President Roosevelt said of another generation they had a ``rendezvous with destiny.'' For America today what Mr. Rangel understands and recognizes is that we have a rendezvous with reality. It's a reality that people face every day when they stare across the kitchen table and look at their spouses and understand what's happening to our economy. When you look at the national debt, when you look at the trade imbalance, when you look at personal credit card debt, when you look at the college tuition debt that people are experiencing, that's what's happening with this middle-class crunch. That's why long-term investment in infrastructure is so important. And, again, I commend Mr. Rangel and the entire body for pursuing it

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Speaker, I rise to associate myself with the remarks of our distinguished Republican leader, Mr. Boehner, and thank him for the large role that he played in putting this package together.

As he said in his remarks, the comity that exists in this Chamber today is warming. President Roosevelt used to say that what we need in this Nation is the warm courage of national unity. And it's great to see, on a day like today, that we can all pull together.

I think, again, Mr. Bachus and Mr. Frank deserve an awful lot of credit as well. And to my distinguished colleague from Massachusetts, whose eloquence is only superceded by his wit and understanding of the parliamentary process, he continues to amaze.

But in getting philosophical, my grandfather, Nolan, would say, in explaining the difference in the free market system, one thing has to apply, and that's Peter Finley Dunn's reminder to ``trust everyone, but cut the cards.'' And I think in coming together today, that's what we've seen is a cutting of the cards.

But as we all know, this wouldn't have happened without the great work of the distinguished chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, CHARLIE RANGEL, and again, the distinguished gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. McCrery). So, we're sad to see him leave, but the partnership that the two of them have had, as I've said earlier, exemplifies how the Chamber and how committees should conduct themselves.

Madam Speaker, Speaker Pelosi deserves so much credit for this, for first reaching out to the President, and then working hand in glove with Mr. Boehner to make sure that we were able to bring this important legislation to the floor today. As Mr. Rangel has outlined and Mr. Hoyer as well, we made sure that this was simplistic in its approach to get money out in a timely, targeted, and temporary manner. And I believe that we have been able to achieve those goals.

We further recognize, however, that we have a rendezvous with reality, and the Ways and Means Committee and Mr. Rangel are prepared, as we move forward in this session and into the next, to make sure that we're addressing the long-term concerns that we know this economy faces.

With that, again, I would like to thank the staffs of the respective committees who have worked tirelessly to make sure that this legislation was able to come to the floor in as speedy a manner as it possibly can and can only pray to God that the other body acts in as timely and targeted and temporary fashion as we have demonstrated here.

Source