WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Congressman Dan Boren called on Congress today to return to Washington D.C. and continue work on the nation’s ailing economy. Boren is urging Congressional leaders to return to Washington and finish work on a second economic stimulus package to boost the economy, create jobs, and help provide additional relief to hard-working families.
Families across the country have felt the impact of the economic downturn for months. America has lost jobs every month of 2008. 84,000 Americans lost their jobs in August, and 159,000 more Americans lost their jobs last month which brings the yearly total to more than three-quarters of a million. The number of unemployed Americans is the highest it has been since 1992.
“Before the ongoing crisis in the financial industry, Oklahoma families were already hurting due to the rising cost of fuel, food, education, and health care,” said Boren. “It is past time for both Democrats and Republicans to come together in the midst of this economic downturn and pass a much-needed stimulus package to provide direct relief to Main Street and the hard-working citizens in eastern Oklahoma.”
Economic stimulus legislation was signed into law earlier this spring that provided approximately $1.3 billion in tax relief to nearly 1.5 million Oklahomans in the form of rebate checks that averaged $867 per Oklahoma household. This first stimulus package infused the economy with cash as families spent their tax rebate checks. A second proposed stimulus for Main Street would be primarily focused on three areas of economic development: infrastructure, energy, and financial relief.
To have an immediate impact on the economy, any economic stimulus legislation must fund infrastructure projects that start quickly, that meet existing needs, and that create jobs. Most importantly, the bill should provide financial relief to families affected by the economic downturn by increasing available funds for unemployment benefits, Medicaid assistance, and job training. Infrastructure improvement projects should include bridge and highway construction, school reconstruction, and additional funds to improve public transportation. It should also increase domestic fuel production to help address rising fuel prices, and invest in renewable energy to create additional “green-collar” jobs.
“These types of projects and investments would offer a short-term benefit by putting people to work and by providing relief to working families. They would also leave behind long-term infrastructure improvements for communities that need them most and advancements in energy production that will benefit Americans for years to come,” said Boren.
Prior to last week’s passage of the economic rescue package for the national banking system, Boren joined a majority of his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in late September in approving legislation to boost the ailing economy through infrastructure improvement, energy production, and financial relief. However, the bill was not taken up in the U.S. Senate before Congress adjourned.
####
