Providing For Further Consideration Of H.R. 1, American Recovery And Reinvestment Act Of 2009

Floor Speech

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Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, it is clear that our economy is in peril. For months, the House of Representatives has been working to develop solutions to revive the job market, to keep people in their homes and to restore faith in the American economy. We have held substantive hearings and markups. We have debated the merits of different proposals. We have listened to nonpartisan expert testimony on what the Federal Government can do to save the jobs we have and to create millions more.

I have listened to and have participated in this debate, and I have weighed the opinions of the experts, but when I consider the package before us today, I think mainly of the people in my district who are suffering.

I think of families in my district who are living on food stamps. I think of seniors who can no longer afford to see a doctor when they're sick. I think of the new mother who has just been laid off and who is not sure if she can pay her mortgage next month.

I think of Francisca Monterjano. Francisca lost most of her 401(k) when the stock market crashed last year. She lined up outside of Raley Field earlier this month, along with thousands of my constituents, eager for part-time work even though she is retired.

Francisca and the rest of my constituents have spoken, Madam Speaker. They have told me clearly:

We need this package. We need the unemployment benefits and the increased access to health care that it represents. We need the nearly 4 million jobs it will save or create. 7,800 of those jobs will be in my district alone, and many of these will be in the clean energy industry that will drive our future economy. We need the public transit and flood protection infrastructure that the bill will provide. We need the investment in primary and secondary education that will help train our children for work in the jobs of the future, and we need the tax relief that this bill contains.

Today's package is a product of compromise and of negotiation. It is not perfect. Yet the state of our economy is too bleak not to act now. Millions of people across our country are suffering too much for this House to shy away from its responsibility to lead. Now is not the time for partisan bickering or for political gain. Now is the time for action, for leadership.

So today, Madam Speaker, I choose to lead by casting my vote in favor of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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