Date: 2009-02-13
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Madam Speaker and Members of the House. we all know. and the people know. that the American economy is in a crisis. Its not that this bill in and of itself will fix the American economy. but this bill takes a major step to fill in the huge gap. and that is the loss of spending at the local level among our school districts. our water districts. our cities. our counties. and our States. Why is that happening? Because theyre hemorrhaging a huge loss. And over the next couple of years. over $2 trillion will be missing in economic activity. This is a bill thats designed to stimulate those local economies. In the education area. theres $56 billion thats available to local school districts for the rehabilitation. the repair. and the renovation of school buildings so that children will go to school in safe. welllighted. modern facilities so that they will be green. They can put in new heating. new air conditioning systems. $600 million for new technologies so every school in this country will be connected to the best technology in the world. They will be able to engage in curriculums that now are impossible for them. They can have modern labs. Thats the promise of America in this. And who will do those jobs? Local contractors. heating contractors. electricians. plumbing contractors. building contractors from our local communities who will hire other people in our local communities. Thats what will happen with this legislation. Thats the promise of this legislation. It will help school districts from keeping to lay off teachers. In the matter of a few weeks. California will start issuing its advanced pink slips. Hundreds of thousands of teachers across this nation will be in this same situation. Now. school districts will know that theyre going to get $13 billion in title I in IDA money that will help them reduce the number of people who will be unemployed if we do nothing. If we do nothing. unemployment will continue. and we know that it will continue for the next few months. But were trying to mitigate against the increased unemployment through school construction. through highway construction. making sure the students can stay in college as their families are under pressure because of the loss of jobs. the diminished work hours. the loss of pay. We want to make sure that they can stay there so we provide an additional increase in the Pell Grant. This is very important to this Nation. Its very important to our students. and its very important that we have an opportunity to create in this economic crisis a 21st century education plan. You know. its just amazing. We always hear that history repeats. and here we see it again. And if you go back and you look at Arthur Schlesingers study of the failures of the Hoover administration leading up to the elected of 1932. this book. "Crisis of Old Order." we see that today. history is repeating itself. Today. when this country cries out to help this economy. to help Americas families who are unemployed. who are losing income. who are losing jobs. President Obama stepped forth with the American Recovery Act. The Republicans stepped forth with saying "no." That was reflected when Minority Leader JOHN BOEHNER gave instructions to his colleagues to oppose the bill. Even as President Obama was traveling the Hill to meet with them and discuss this bill with them. they decided in advance of that meeting they would say "no." Minority Whip ERIC CANTOR of Virginia has said that "no" is going to be the Republican strategy on this economic crises. "No" is going to be their strategy. he said. The Republican national spokesman of late. radio host Rush Limbaugh. added that "no" is the strategy by asserting on the air that he wants President Obama to fail. Does he understand if President Obama fails that the American families lose income. they lose their jobs. and the crisis continues? And here we see the repeating of "no." It was President Hoover in the midst of the Depression with his policy that the Federal Government could do nothing to help this Nation. and he was so wrong. He asked Will Rogers to think up a joke that would stop hoarding by the American public. He asked Rudy Vallee. Can you sing a song that would make people forget the Depression? I will give you a medal. He asked Christopher Morley. Perhaps what this country needs is a poem.