Date: 2011-11-15
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the gentleman from California and my colleagues from Ohio. Alabama. Minnesota. and New York. I think that is a sufficiently far reach to know that this is a national issue. Mr. GARAMENDI. we thank you from your perch as an insurer. meaning your experience in insurance. which is also a source of funding sometimes. As the insurance industry invests. you know that America is not broke and that America can. in fact. create jobs and do it by manufacturing. So Im delighted to see the Make It In America theme continue over and over again. And let me just share some statistics. because as the supercommittee works. one of the challenges is whether or not they are focusing on creating jobs or just cutting taxes for those who do not need tax relief. Eightytwo percent of Americans say it is important for Congress to produce legislation this year to reduce the Federal deficit through a balanced plan combining spending cuts and also ensuring that all Americans pay their fair share. In a couple of days. will that occur or will we have the same old same old. which is protecting the rich and not allowing a fair. equal assessment of ones responsibility? Eightyfour percent of Americans say its important for Congress to reach a new Federal spending agreement to create jobs rehabilitating schools. improving needs and public transit and preventing layoffs. And 60 percent of those surveyed think the Federal Government should pursue policies to reduce the gap between the wealthiest few and the less welloff Americans. Well. that is what were talking about today. I notice that Mr. GARAMENDI had a poster on IPOs are down. particularly small IPOs. and that is a source of cash for investing back into small businesses and manufacturing. We did a survey of the manufacturing companies in our district. My friends. you can turn the corner in your neighborhood and find a building that is making something. We do not have to look for the large conglomerates. Im delighted that we bailed out the auto industry. They are doing well. But you know them. You know theyll go to Detroit. You know they make big things and not little things. But we actually found that our manufacturers were embeddedby the way. our zoning is nonexistent. so we have a little bit more flexibility. But we found these companies embedded in neighborhoods. down the street and around the corner from different neighborhoods. They are right there amongst us. And the question is are we going to go into the 46th week when our friends on the other side of the aisle do not focus on how to enhance Make It In America? What I would suggest is that the payroll tax relief would help that is in thepass the jobs bill. and access to credit. making sure that banks give access to credit so that the startups can have the equal playing field. But also. my friend. these companies want to expand. When I visited small businesses. happened not to be manufacturers. they all said: Can we have money to expand. to create new offices. new services in the doctors office. new ways of exploring resources for a small energy company? So Im here today to challenge the friends on the other side of the aisle. the Speaker. ready to challenge him to say: You come from Ohio. a working family. You get it. Mr. Speaker. Work with our leader. NANCY PELOSI. Work with our leadership. from the chairman of the caucus who has been so eloquent. JOHN LARSON. on jobs to the whip that talks about Make It In America. Mr. HOYER. and. of course. our vice chair and. of course. our assistant leader. Mr. CLYBURN. and our vice chair. Mr. BECERRA. All of these folks. if I have not left out anyone. have been talking time after time of Make It In America. But more importantly. we are not broke. If we can insist on letting our small businesses and our manufacturers get a leg up and we stop giving giveaways to those who are the beneficiaries of the Bush tax cuts and begin some new concepts in funding. I think we can make it. I want to close by simply saying to my friends in the private sector. you complain when we talk about pass the jobs bill. Frankly. I think its a commonsense approachpayroll tax relief. hiring the chronically unemployed. putting to work teachers so that class sizes can go down. educating your next workforce. firefighters. police. et cetera. It is well documented that our large companies have a very flush cash flow. It is well documented that our major banks. our multinational banks. are well endowed with resources. My plea is that all of us become patriots. not party belongers. not cardcarrying sign wavers as it relates to what party youre in. and begin to invest in America. Frankly. our President has stabilizedstabilizedthe economy. Its not where we want it to be. Its not bleeding. Its not where we want to go. but its on the surge up. The numbers will show that it can do that. We need the kind of partnership with the private sector that is long overdue. and we need the support by our government of supporting our manufacturing. We can come back. Before you know it. we will be percolating along and being the leader. if you will. of manufacturing. businesses. job creation. and investment as not arrogantly so but the model for the world in how do you invest in your people. And Im looking forward to that starting with supporting a number of initiatives that are already suggested and certainly some that Im introducing. But I am just delighted that we have the thinkers that realize that investing in America is not the end but the beginning of a greater and greater America.