Rogers' Floor Statement On The "Stimulus" Bill Conference Report

Press Release

Today, Congressman Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) made the following remarks regarding H.R.1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Rogers highlighted the lack of transparency throughout the entire process and emphasized the enormous debt that passage of this "stimulus" bill would create for our future generations. The bill passed the House of Representatives this afternoon and is expected to be considered by the Senate later today:

"Mr. Speaker, throughout our country's storied history, we've witnessed some truly extraordinary efforts from the floor of this hollowed Chamber to address our country's most dire needs. We've stood united, setting geographic and party labels aside, to pass legislation that pushed our country forward.

"In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, in the shadow of 9/11, in the wake of numerous natural disasters, this body has traditionally responded by pulling together to produce results for the American people.

"But today is sadly not one of those extraordinary moments.

"Thousands of pages of text- given to us at midnight last night. The Speaker of the House even preventing it from being read to us by the House clerk. 90 minutes of debate only. Some members will not even be allowed to speak a word for or against this monstrosity. $790 billion in spending- one of the largest spending bills to ever pass through this body.

"Hardly any Member, Republican or Democrat, was allowed to help work or write up this bill. This bill was written by the Speaker of the House with absolutely no collaboration with the Republican side of the aisle and frankly little with even Democrats.

"The principles of democracy are being compromised here today.

"The American people deserve better. The Members of this Chamber deserve better. And, our Founding Fathers expected better.

"At best, all you're going to do here today is ram through this Congress an ill-conceived, misdirected spending spree.

"This bill is not targeted to creating jobs like we wanted. It's just spending a borrowed trillion dollars that our children, grandkids, even great grandkids are going to have to pay.

"When all is said and done with, and the balloons are put away and the champagne toasts are over, we leave a whopping and record breaking $12.1 trillion debt for future generations to try and mop up.

"Even worse, leading experts tell us the results of this bill will not jumpstart our economy or create real high waged jobs. We stand to do the exact opposite. As a result of this bill, I fear that interest rates will soar, inflation will rise and the value of the dollar will plummet.

"The President has spoken correctly of our need for immediate action. However, the American people would be better off with a thoughtful, comprehensive bill that creates jobs by keeping taxes low, incentives for our small businesses to expand, and reigns in wasteful spending. Instead, we have a hasty product that will not serve our country well.

"Let us rise to the occasion and pass a bill that brings this chamber together with a plan for genuine stimulus, rather than political gain. I urge Members to reject this Conference Report."

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