|
|
On Wednesday, I joined Members of Congress at the White House as President Obama signed legislation reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) into law. This historic legislation, vetoed twice by President Bush, will now cover 11 million children, including an additional 4 million uninsured but eligible kids. With rising unemployment and more families struggling to afford health care, this children’s health bill is more critical than ever. This is exactly the kind of change Americans voted for in November, and I am proud that this legislation is finally law.
I’m pleased that the Obama Administration took action this week to restore trust in our financial industry by setting restrictions on executive compensation for institutions that receive government assistance. While we work to prevent further financial collapse, companies receiving federal aid must be held accountable for how they use the taxpayer’s money. They must understand that the abuse of such funds will not be allowed.
Today, the Department of Labor announced bleak numbers for American workers, with the U.S. economy losing 598,000 jobs in January, the largest one-month decline since 1974, and an unemployment rate of 7.6%. Next week, we will continue our work on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which addresses the extraordinary crisis facing our nation by creating and saving millions of jobs to put Americans back to work. I hope Republicans will continue to work with us in the constructive manner that this urgent situation requires so we can get a final bill to President Obama as soon as possible.
|
|
