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Letter to President Barack Obama

Letter

Date: Feb. 3, 2009
Issues: Infrastructure Health and Health Care Education

Governor Schwarzenegger and 18 Other Governors Send Letter to President Obama Supporting the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today joined with 18 other governors in sending the following letter to President Obama supporting the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Text of the letter:

February 3, 2009

The President
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President,

We are writing to express our support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which passed last week in the House and is under consideration currently in the Senate. As stewards of the economies of our respective states and regions, we urge the Congress to reach prompt resolution of all outstanding differences and you to sign the bill when it reaches your desk.

Families and businesses across the nation are hurting. Credit markets have seized up, which is affecting both business activity and consumer spending. Unemployment is rising sharply. While we all believe in the importance of free markets, we believe that the markets today need stimulating.

We support the objectives of ARRA and welcome the partnership it offers us as governors. The support for a temporary increase in the federal commitment for public education, health care (including cost control through initiatives such as health records IT), and for rebuilding our public infrastructure will create and preserve jobs today, and represents a sound investment in our long-term economic interests as well. We look forward to working with Congress and your Administration to advance an economic recovery package that puts federal dollars to work in our states in the quickest and most efficient manner as possible.

Thank you for your consideration.

Respectfully yours,

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Governor M. Jodi Rell
California Connecticut

Governor Deval Patrick Governor Charlie Crist
Massachusetts Florida

Governor Bill Ritter Jr. Governor Chester J. Culver
Colorado Iowa

Governor Jack Markell Governor Jon S. Corzine
Delaware New Jersey

Governor Pat Quinn Governor Ted Strickland
Illinois Ohio

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm Governor Theodore R. Kulongoski
Michigan Oregon

Governor David A. Paterson Governor James H. Douglas
New York Vermont

Governor Brad Henry Governor John deJonghr.
Oklahoma Virgin Islands

Governor Edward G. Rendell
Pennsylvania

Governor Timothy M. Kaine
Virginia

Governor Jim Doyle
Wisconsin


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