Baldwin Statement on Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Statement

Baldwin Statement on Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act

I agree with President Obama that we cannot make the perfect the enemy of the essential. The bill we're sending to the President's desk is not perfect, but it is essential. Today, thousands of people in Wisconsin are in desperate need of jobs, health care, home heating assistance, mortgage assistance or housing. This legislation addresses those immediate needs and sets us on a path toward economic recovery and growth.

First and foremost, this bill will create and save the jobs we need now - more than 70,000 in Wisconsin over the next two years - most in the private sector. And 95% of workers will see an immediate tax cut in their paychecks.

The recovery plan will also provide a safety net (implemented largely through existing programs) to help those who have lost jobs. It temporarily extends unemployment benefits, provides food stamp assistance, helps people heat their homes and keep their health insurance.

The bill also lays the foundation for future growth by making initial investments in a new green economy. My own amendment to this legislation will boost investment in leading edge biofuels which hold great benefit to industry, agriculture, and research in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin is a national leader in advancing biofuel technologies. The Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, located in Madison, is a federally-funded research center focused on finding ways to create forms of cellulosic ethanol - fuel created from inedible plant matter. Further, many companies in Wisconsin are working on commercializing biofuel technologies that will power vehicles and replace the need for dirty fossil fuels.

As I said at the outset, this is not a perfect bill, but it moves us in the direction we absolutely must go if we are to recover from the current economic crisis.

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