Pelosi, Reid: Open To a Second Stimulus
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid met with President Obama at the White House this afternoon to discuss the economy and the potential for further spending bills to stimulate more growth. In a statement released following the meeting, Pelosi indicates her willingness to do so:
"Today's meeting with President Obama reaffirmed our top priority as a nation: getting Americans back to work. The President, Leader Reid, and I all agree that we must respond to the urgent need to promote the creation of good jobs, rebuild our workforce, and restore stability to our neighborhoods. Congress stands ready to partner with the White House to keep our economy moving in the right direction and lay the foundation for growth long into the future.
"Our recovery efforts have brought our economy back from the brink. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Cash for Clunkers, and a series of other steps have halted the freefall and have begun put us back on the path to long-term prosperity. The House has passed measures to invest in the clean energy jobs and to extend unemployment benefits to workers hardest hit by the recession.
"We are beginning to see signs that the economy is turning around. But we are committed to take further action on behalf of the millions of Americans out of work or at risk of losing their jobs, their savings and their homes."
Here is Reid's statement:
"Today's meeting with the President reinforces our shared commitment to creating more jobs and providing relief to the millions of Americans who are out of work. President Obama inherited the worst economic crisis in generations and has brought our nation back from the brink. But too many families are still hurting, and it's critical that we do everything possible to create jobs and strengthen the economy."We're optimistic about the prospects of using renewable energy legislation to create green jobs while promoting energy efficiency. In addition, we need to continue working toward ensuring that more families can stay in their current homes and continue efforts to strengthen the housing market by extending the homebuyer tax credit. We also need to think about creative, innovative ways to encourage businesses to create new jobs and we're committed to working with the President to do that.
"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and other legislation passed this year is already making a real difference. We need to ensure that the recovery funds get out the door as quickly and effectively as possible while also enacting new ideas to get more Americans back to work and the economy back on track."