When You Make it in America, Every American Can Make It

Floor Speech

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Mr. TONKO. Thank you, Representative Garamendi, and thank you for bringing us together for some very thoughtful dialogue about the highest priority that is held by Americans coast to coast, and that is job creation, job retention. Make no mistake about it, there is no other higher priority.

I agree with the previous statements made by the gentleman from Connecticut. Representative Larson spoke of the absolute simplistic equation of job creation and retention equals deficit reduction. It doesn't get plainer, simpler, or more sound than that. It is about creating jobs, reducing the deficit. The job growth will move forward in resolving several of our major issues out there.

You know, your focus, Representative Garamendi, on the initial public offerings, the IPOs as they're referenced, they have dropped precipitously, and knowing that then is a downward spiral that doesn't find the sort of investing that is absolutely essential is a very troubling notion. You know, many will talk about just leaving it to the capitalist model, let it just work on its own. Well, it's obvious we need to prime the pump in many areas.

You talked about my role in the State of New York. When I served as the head of the New York State Energy Research Development Authority, we found that investing from the public sector sources leveraged tremendous amounts of private sector capital. We see it in this global race. This global race on clean energy and innovation is driven by a robust competition. What we find are the counterparts, the competitors to our American industries are helped along the way with a co-investing, if you will, that comes from their native country. There are those economies out there that are co-investing with their private sector. Here we are asked to cut dollars for research and development, cut dollars for partnerships, cut dollars for incentives that will inspire that sort of robust quality that is essential if Americans are going to compete and compete effectively well. So our trends are out there. They are well documented.

We saw that we ignored manufacturing as a sector of the economy. We ignored agriculture, and we focused primarily on service sector. And then very narrowly within that service sector with the financial sector. We know what happened. We turned our back, let the watchdog leave the cage and allow for freestyle to go amuck. And what happened? Across this country people who had invested all their life savings into the trusted hands of portfolio activity were found without any sort of return. And then America's economy was brought to its knees.

That is not the kind of outcome we want here. So we have said hey, let's go forward and we have witnessed now the growth of some 2.8 million private sector jobs. That's after a trend with the Bush recession of 8.2 million jobs lost. Just this past election day, I think you can see some trends out there that are finding the public swing to the Democratic message because they know it is about job creation and job retention. They know it is about investing in the tools and the tool kits that get us those jobs. We are an ideas economy, and we need to invest in those ideas, build the prototype, allow it to move to a manufacturing sector and be robust in our attempts. Make it in America is the mantra to which we have brought the conference, the Democratic conference, of this House.

We are talking in straightforward language about revitalizing America's manufacturing sector. We can do it and we can compete keenly if we do it smarter. We don't necessarily have to do it cheaper. We have to do it smarter.

I have talked in my tours with manufacturing throughout the 21st Congressional District in the capital region of New York State, I have talked with a number of manufacturers. We have done tours. We have visited and heard front and center from the leadership squad: there are thousands of jobs in this country from coast to coast for which skill sets have to be developed. If we move to an automated phase of manufacturing, there are qualities, there are skills, the academics, the analytical skill sets that are required in order for us to move forward aggressively.

Now there is a sophistication in our society, a sophistication that finds us creating product lines not yet on the radar screen. People will suggest, they will lament that the glory days of manufacturing have passed us by. No, we need to move forward aggressively and proactively in creating the agenda that will develop the products of the future. If someone is to suggest that every idea out there, every concept of a product has been conceived, designed, engineered, manufactured, produced, we are kidding ourselves. And so this is an investment in the future. This is a visionary attempt to pull us along into an area that was ignored and ignored, that found that ignoring of the manufacturing sector found us falling into the woes of a recession. And so it's time now for us to do it smart, to do it in a way that invests in our manufacturing base, celebrates the empowerment that small business brings to the fabric of our economy, the small businesses, the economic engine that provides the jump start to our economy. They need the assistance, and that has been our effort here: talk about revitalizing manufacturing, supporting small business, moving forward with education, higher education, and research and development to move the ideas economy along. That's America at her best. That's her pioneer spirit, and let's continue to move in that direction.

Again, thank you for bringing this dialogue to the floor.

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Mr. TONKO. Thank you, Representative Jackson Lee, for your outstanding leadership on behalf of the Texas district that you represent with your outstanding leadership on this floor. You're so right. Everywhere we turn, you can see job creation and what it means to the local regional economy.

I have a touring concept that we do in our district, and we have a roundtable discussion routinely held with the small business community. And it is just profound to go around and see how many people are investing in manufacturing out there; and their product delivery is powerful, and the fact that they're exporting is an encouraging and enthusiastic thought. So it's all about showcasing what can happen.

And just think of it on a grander scale when we provide the underpinnings of support, when we invest in that concept of manufacturing and move forward with the incubator networks and all of the activities that nourish this sort of comeback story that is so essential right now after this economy was brought to its knees by an approach that was hard-hearted to manufacturing. It ignored what was happening. The same is true in agriculture, and we will maybe talk about that in a few minutes.

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Mr. TONKO. Absolutely. And I think it is about investing, the key word; investing our way to a stronger tomorrow, investing our way to opportunity, investing our way to prosperity. I see it all the time. The dollars that were invested from State sources, public sources, and some Federal dollars into the capital region of New York that I represent leveraged tremendous private sector dollars with an investment in the bottom-line calculation in nanotechnology, in semiconductor science, in chip manufacturing, and in green collar workforce development. These dynamics are so powerful that they have lifted that region to the first of all hubs in America for job growth of the green collar variety, and in the top five as a hub for high-tech growth. So it happens. When you invest, it happens.

Now, speaking about sound voices for a resurgence in our private sector job growth, in our public sector support networks, for those employees, a tremendously dynamic voice from our new freshman class, Representative Terri Sewell from the great State of Alabama.

Representative, thank you for joining us this afternoon. And I know that you've been a very powerful voice for job creation, job retention in our economy.

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Mr. TONKO. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.

Representative Sewell, absolutely right on in your focus as to the strengthening and the value added of small business.

H.R. 1730 is a powerful response to the needs of small business, making certain that the savings opportunities, especially in those early startup years, are made more valid and more available to small business as a network. Certainly the small business community is a tremendous corporate citizen in the fabric of our communities, and they get tethered into our communities in a way that enables them to grow and prosper, all while adding jobs and providing the intellect and innovative sort of spirit, which is important.

Speaking of colleagues who have been outstanding voices on job creation, job retention, we know that Ohio has been in the news lately. And we have one of those voices from Ohio serving in the Democratic Caucus, one whom I am very proud to know and work with.

Representative Tim Ryan, representing communities like Youngstown and Akron, has been a very powerful force in acknowledging that it's investing in job creation that is our number one concern right now.

We've seen what's been happening in Ohio. There is an outburst of pride coming from that State about the activism that is really speaking to and empowering the middle class. And we empower the middle class by providing jobs.

Representative Ryan, thank you so very much for being that outstanding voice.

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Mr. TONKO. Representative Ryan, what a great coalescing going on in Ohio, and what a statement by the middle class, of people of all backgrounds coming together speaking with one voice, based on a common thread of jobs, the dignity of work, powerful statement. And we should all be motivated and inspired by that outcome.

You talked about government's role to plant the garden. Let me just talk about another sector just to associate with that element of agriculture just for a bit here this afternoon.

Why such a struggle on this House floor to get the dollars for farmers who were impacted by natural disaster?

I saw record flooding in my district. We had wonderfully productive soils in the upstate regions of New York State. You would think that it wasn't part of some industrial sector, that there wasn't an ag sector in our economy. All they were asking for was to have debris removal dollars, to have farm land restoration, crop land restoration dollars at a time when we were impacted by the ravages of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Was that too much to ask?

Well, I'm happy to see that the push here in this House coming from those of us who have visited those districts and really pushed the agenda are able to account for $338.6 million being added so that we can take programs like the Emergency Conservation Program, the Emergency Water Protection Program, and allow for restoration of farm land, debris removal and all the activities that will drive productivity back to the farm.

All they were asking for was a chance to recover from the forces of Mother Nature. And if you can't assist in a situation like that, if it took this tug of war, if it took advocacy, if it took putting a bill in the House to really push everyone to move on behalf of our farmers--you know, I voted against that original package because they said zero additional aid for the ag community. Unacceptable.

So you talk about government planting the garden. That's just a sampling of investing that was critical so you could keep those ag forces going, those ag related jobs. Absolutely critical, not only to our economic recovery, but to the nutritional impact that it bears for all of America's families.

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Mr. TONKO. And it took putting the flood lights on to the situation, where in the middle of tragedy we're looking to change the rules; we are looking for offsets in order to provide assistance to our national farmers' impacted farms under water, valuable farm land being eroded away. And we changed rules? I mean, it was unacceptable.

And just speaking to that hardheartedness was an exercise for me that was a learning curve because it took every bit of providing evidence, from pictorial evidence to documentation of loss that finally moved this House to respond to the needs of our farmers.

So, that being said, it's about, I think, investing, as has been said here in this special order hour. It's about investing and believing in America. The middle class needs that empowerment. They deserve and require it.

Think of it. None of the strata can survive without a powerful middle class. Someone needs to build the product, someone needs to purchase the product. Enhancing the purchasing power, growing consumer demand will drive private sector jobs growth. More expectation, more desire to buy products, you put more people on, you develop product line.

It works. It's a simplistic thing to follow. It's a pattern that's sensible. And so what we want to do is make certain that we empower that middle class. We've seen a lot of outbursts about the social and economic injustice out there, and it's about providing a reasonable approach so that our middle class can be vibrant again.

I think it's what people were stating a week ago at the polls. They were saying, we're listening to the Democrats' message; we're embracing it and we're shifting our loyalties. We're now choosing to side with those who are talking about a wise approach, investing in job creation, which equals deficit reduction. Basic, simple, sound.

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Mr. TONKO. I think the people feel at risk when they believe that those who have this highest concentration of wealth have just so much influence on the outcome in Washington that it's unacceptable. And they now know who's paid the price.

You know, the middle class, when given the opportunity, remains silent, or at least mildly content. When you take that away and you then involve this unjust outcome to impact them, then they get angry.

So the outburst here is we need the investing. We want our children to have the opportunity to reach for the American Dream. It has always been the passion that drives this country. And when you talked about the global race on space during the JFK years, President Kennedy acknowledged up front we're going to do this, not because it's easy, but because it's hard.

People know that these are tough decisions, but they also want to hear the commitment. They want to hear conviction. Are we going to support, are we going to be the underpinnings of human infrastructure, the development of a workforce, training, retraining, education, higher education; incentives that provide for research so you can be a land of discovery, a land of creating product line, of traveling into new spheres of influence that can just express the magnanimous quality of America and all she offers?

When you suffocate those areas of potential, you're denying the middle class its chance at the American Dream. And that's what this is about. People see undue influence coming from a very few and denying the vast majority their chance at the American Dream. And that's what this Nation has always been about. It's been there as an ideal. It's been a beacon of hope. It's seen as a garden of opportunity, and we need to culture, move that culture forward in a way that is driven by sound programs, sound projects, sound policy. It's about the programs, projects, and policies.

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Mr. TONKO. And essential services that are performed.

You talked about water and sewer opportunities, the construction projects that we require. It's about human infrastructure, capital infrastructure, physical infrastructure. If we feed that with soundness of investment--not just spending and throwing money at something, but with an accountable plan, one with a vision, one with goals, one that embraces a soundness of future--we are ahead of the race of anyone else out there. We can maintain the soundness of leadership in this global economy if we believe in ourselves, if we believe in the American Dream, if we invest.

We've been joined by Representative John Garamendi from the great State of California. He kicked us off. The hour came into my hands, and now you're back to revisit. So we thank you Representative Garamendi, again, for serving as inspiration to really get the thought process moving and verbalize where we are as a powerful conference in this House and where I think we've attached to the great thinking out there, the overwhelming thinking of Americans.

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Mr. TONKO. Well, I think to just match some words to what your most recent statement was, we have to think back, too, and look at recent history to have it speak to us. We borrowed totally for the millionaire-billionaire tax cuts and for two wars that were being fought, and now we wonder why we have a problem, a deficit situation, and why we want to blame the worker.

Now, look. We say it's about investing in the human fabric, in the core individual, making certain that the skills that can be unleashed by that investment are put into a work situation that can enable us to be a nation of discovery, a nation of innovation, of design, of invention. That's America in her greatest moments, and I think those moments lie ahead of us.

I'm optimistic that if we do this plan of investment, we will see tremendous growth in our economy. We will see our competitive edge in the global market get all the sharper and more keen. However, it takes that investment. It takes that vision, laser sharp, and it takes the commitment to stand up against this tide to just slash and burn, as you indicated, after so many were witnessing that the very few were given a gift for which we borrowed.

Now we're asking for someone else to have their turn--America's middle class.

Pursuing the American Dream deserves that sort of attention. It deserves the dignity of work. It deserves the respect of those who lead this Nation, and for them to do it in a fashion that is going to respond in fullest measure.

Representative Garamendi, it has been a pleasure to join with you on the floor.

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