WASHINGTON, D.C.  -  Excitement was in the air last week when Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States and the first African American to hold the office.

 
Almost 2 million people traveled to Washington, D.C. to be a part of this historic occasion. I, along with our entire nation, was deeply proud our country achieved this important milestone.

After joining my colleagues in a meeting with President Obama this week, I want to applaud the President for his willingness to reach out and work with all sides. Even though we will disagree from time to time, I look forward to working with the President to get things done.

But now that the crowds are gone and the Inaugural parties over, it’s time for Congress to get to work.

Folks are hurting in this tough economy.  The evidence is in the numbers.

USA Today reported Alabama tying for 24th in the nation for unemployment at 6.7 percent.

Layoffs continue to be all too frequent news for us.

Congress must start working and working now to provide real relief for folks back home.
 So far the results have been mixed. Recently, the House passed its version of an Economic Stimulus plan. This plan was supposed to help stimulate our economy by investing in much needed transportation projects nationwide and creating new jobs. While it had a number of important features, like $30 billion for transportation infrastructure spending, I believe Congress can do better.

It was estimated by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that only 15 percent of the bill’s total spending will occur in 2009. In addition it was full of unrelated and unnecessary spending and would create 32 new government programs.

Our struggling economy needs something more.  We need a bill focused on job creation, tax cuts targeted for working families and small businesses, and massive infrastructure investment. While I couldn’t support this particular version, I am hopeful Congress will come up with something better that more quickly helps revitalize our stalled economy.

I would add I’m also disappointed the House Democratic Leadership did not include support for Alabama’s struggling auto makers and suppliers in the bill, such as my proposal to help incentivize cash strapped Americans to purchase a new vehicle.

With Honda and Hyundai in the district and Kia just over the Georgia line, it makes sense to help the auto industry and in turn help our economy. Thousands of good paying jobs depend on this sector. 

I applaud President Obama’s attempt to tackle our country’s economic crisis and appreciate his bipartisan approach.

But I hope Congress will work hard to come up with a stronger, bipartisan bill for struggling American families.  As always, please feel free to contact me at www.house.gov/mike-roger