Motion to go to Conference on H.R.1, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Floor Speech

Motion to go to Conference on H.R.1, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 -- (House of Representatives - February 10, 2009)

Mr. WITTMAN. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the ranking member for the opportunity to speak. And I do stand in favor of the motion to instruct requiring 48 hours for the information on this bill to be made available electronically in a readable, researchable and downloadable database. I think that is important to the American people.

And I want to stress that we have heard a lot of talk about what people stand for. I haven't heard anyone that says that we shouldn't be doing something. We absolutely need to be taking issue with where the American economy is today, to be making sure that we are working as hard as we can to provide solutions. There are American families out there that are hurting each and every day. I don't think any of us up here don't have that first and foremost on our mind.

Madam Speaker, it's not only important that we do something, but it's important that we do the right thing. This is such a monumental step for this government to take. It has been said that this is an historic precedent on the level of spending that we are taking to drive the economy. It really begs us to take the time to get it right. We need to take the time to focus on the right mix of tax cuts and spending that will truly stimulate the economy, dollars that make their way into the economy immediately. Over 60 percent of this bill doesn't make its way into the economy for more than 19 months. I don't know that anybody here would say that that is truly stimulative to the economy and things that are going to equate to jobs in a timely manner for folks that are suffering right now.

I think it's important to make sure that all the American people are heard on this. This is so important. There are members on this side that represent folks out there that want to make sure that ideas we hear from them are projected in this bill and they make their way into the final version that is to be considered here coming out of the conference report. I think that is incumbent upon this body to make sure that that happens. This bill is too important to make sure that we have the participation of everybody. We need to make sure that this information is available for the American public to understand, for their comments to come back to us, for us to have the opportunity to make sure that those comments make their way into this legislation. This is groundbreaking legislation, and it needs to happen now.

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