Keith Ellison

Mr. ELLISON

Mr. ELLISON. Congresswoman Edwards.

Mr. ELLISON. My name is Keith Ellison, and we are here for the progressive message, the 1 hour when the Congressional Progressive Caucus will come to the American people and talk about what our agenda is. Tonight it's important to specify, Mr. Speaker, that the Progressive Caucus is going to be on the floor for the next 60 minutes talking about America's economic picture, the landscape that we're facing, and what the progressive vision is for solving these problems. I am joined tonight by some stellar members of the Progressive Caucus. We have with us tonight, Mr. Speaker, our outstanding, stupendous, colossal, fearless leader, none other than Lynn Woolsey, who just got through talking about the war. She has been a champion on many fronts. But I'm also joined by my classmate, a tireless fighter for all people across America, none other than Yvette Clarke, who never bends, never bows, and always stays strong for the American people. I think it's important for us to know that we're also joined by none other than Donna Edwards, who is going to grab a mike in just a moment. And the four of us and other members of the Progressive Caucus for about the next 58 minutes are going to be talking about the stimulus package, the economic picture facing the American people, and what the Progressive Caucus believes we need to do about it. Your progressive voice on progressive issues. So with that, I invite my colleagues to jump on in. We're going to have a colloquy over the next few minutes where we come in and out and share the ball, if you will, to talk about the stimulus package. And let me just kick it off with our chairperson. Congresswoman Woolsey, how do you look at the stimulus package we passed today?

Mr. ELLISON. So did the Progressive Caucus ask for things like extension of unemployment benefits, increasing food stamps, and infrastructure projects, things that are really going to have a big punch when it comes to stimulating the economy? Were those some of the things in the Progressive Caucus letter?

Mr. ELLISON. Reclaiming my time, I would like to direct the gentlewoman's attention to this graph, which an economist named Mark Zandi estimated the multiplier effect for various policy proposals. Essentially, the higher the number is, the more punch; the lower the number is, the weaker the punch. And the things that the Progressive Caucus asked for had, for example, at the bottom here it says increase infrastructure spending, 1.59. Now, that's pretty high. And also temporary increase in food stamps, 1.73. That's very high. Extend unemployment compensation benefits, 1.64. That's very high. And, Mr. Speaker, I just want to toss it over to Yvette Clarke, and just ask, in your view, Congresswoman Clarke, are the things that the Progressive Caucus asked for in this stimulus package, they're not only good and decent and demonstrate compassion, but they're also good economic sense. Was that your view?

Mr. ELLISON. Let's get our colleague Donna Edwards from right next door in Maryland into this conversation. Congresswoman Edwards, you've been an advocate for working people all of your life and have been fighting for justice. How do you see this stimulus package? Do you think that it was more or less what the Nation needed? Are you happy with some of the key elements of it, or do you think it really needed to bone up on some parts?

Mr. ELLISON. So let me just close it out and say that it has been a pleasure coming to you with this special order with a progressive message with my colleagues, Congresswoman Woolsey, Congresswoman Clarke, Congresswoman Edwards. And this has been the progressive message here. Thank you. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ELLISON. Thank you, Congresswoman Clarke. And I just want to say thank you for yielding back. You do a wonderful job. And I want you to know that it is an honor to be serving with you. I admire the work you do, and just stand in awe of the way you just go about fighting for the people. And the last word and the closing is going to be carried forth by our colleague, Donna Edwards. But before I yield back to her, I just want to say I was proud to vote for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This bill creates 3 million to 4 million jobs, gives 95 percent of Americans an immediate tax cut; 75 percent will be spent in the first 18 months. And this bill is designed to get America working again. I am proud to vote for it, and honored to be able to be here with the Progressive Caucus. With that, I yield to my distinguished colleague from Maryland, the gentlelady from Maryland.

Mr. ELLISON. Thank you for yielding back. Let me say tonight that it is important for us to realize that this stimulus package really is emergency surgery. It is a crisis, and we are addressing a crisis. But when we talk about a progressive vision, we are not just talking about dealing with this crisis; we are talking about setting forth a new way of doing business, saying that the market will not be allowed to run amuck, that the market does not answer our questions, that the market has market failure, and that there is a critical and indispensable role of government. Government is not the problem, but when government doesn't monitor people at the SEC and at other agencies, then we see problems arising. It is a vision of saying that the government has a responsibility to make sure that our economy is fair, that our economy is inclusive, that everybody matters, that everybody counts, and people are just not going to be left out. It is a vision that says America should be at peace with the rest of the world, that we should pursue peace, we should promote peace, we should engage in dialogue and diplomacy and negotiation, and that war is the enemy of the poor. Not only is war dangerous to people on the business end of a missile, but it is the enemy of the poor in our country because it saps what poor people need. And we also understand our progressive vision is that our country, a caring nation, a loving nation, should be concerned about the health of its people. And because of that, we need to have universal health care. And one of the best things we could do for the auto industry is to have universal health care, and they would have a lot of problems taken off of their shoulders. So it is important to talk about that as we move into the final minutes of our special hour as we talk about a progressive vision that we are today dealing with a crisis, but that crisis is not the end of the story; that we are going to be moving into the future, and that we are going to be laying down a progressive vision for quite a long while. Let me yield to Congresswoman Clarke.

Mr. ELLISON. We have about 15 more minutes left in our hour, so start thinking about what we want to leave the folks with tonight. But I just want to point out that one of the progressive values that we share is that we have an inclusive vision; so that we don't engage in regionalism, we think about what all Americans need. And so we are concerned. When I see an unemployment number in New York at 7 percent, that sends chills through my spine because in Minnesota we have got 6.9 percent, which is pretty much the same. And we look at Michigan really hurting. So we know that we need those workforce development dollars there to help get people trained. And the year before that they were at 7.4. So they have been hurting for a long time. And Rhode Island people are really taking a hit, and in North Carolina as well. One of our values as the Progressive Caucus is that we stand for the American people as a whole. And Congresswoman Edwards, again, here we are moving forward on this stimulus package, and we are going to continue over the course of the year to project a progressive vision and a progressive economy. I guess one of my questions to you is, how critical is it that we continue to keep up the struggle to project a progressive vision for our Congress and for our Nation?

Mr. ELLISON. If the gentlelady yields back, I'd just like to point out that on this chart that Mark Zandi noted--a conservative economist, quite frankly--in his study he showed that the revenue transfers to State governments have a pretty high multiplier effect of 11.36, which is pretty high. If you notice nonrefundable rebates, they're pretty low. Some of these things extend--the alternative minimum tax, that is very low. Less than one. Make income tax cuts expiring in 2010 permanent. That's extremely low. And reduce corporate tax rates. That's pretty low too. So if you really want to get the economy moving, if you want to help small business, help the average person, and help those States that you just mentioned a moment ago, Congresswoman, revenue transfers to State governments. If I may just point out, you mentioned your State, and I am glad you did, because it's important for people across all the States to know that we are in this thing together; Maryland, New York, Minnesota. We are in this thing together. In my State of Minnesota the impact of this recovery bill will be State fiscal relief in a significant amount, which is actually over $1 billion, which is quite a lot of money. Title I education, $117 million; special education--always fighting for every penny--$216 million. Very happy to point out Workforce Employment Services, $19 million. That is a lot of money. That makes a big difference. Weatherization. We like to get up to zero in Minnesota. If it got to be zero, it would be a heat wave in Minnesota. Weatherization is important for us. $210 million. A very important program. Of course, as you pointed out, when you lose your job and you lose your health care, so our Medicaid funding of $737 million is a significant amount of money. All told, Minnesota is going to be able to benefit $3.3 billion from the stimulus package. We have a State budget deficit of about $5 billion. It won't cover everything, but it's going to help an awful lot, and there will be vital services that will not be cut because the Federal Government, with the influence of the Progressive Caucus, responded to the needs of the people in a real way. Let me yield to the Congresswoman from New York.

Mr. ELLISON. So, the Progressive Caucus, that is who we are for. Because we know that the war makers and the big dogs, they have people who look out for them around here. They're paid to do so, as they wear their monogrammed shirts and fly their jets here. Sometimes they fly three different jets from the same industry here. But, Congresswoman Edwards, how do you feel about the people we are here to fight for?

Mr. ELLISON. Right.

Mr. ELLISON. Those people who are trying to wonder whether they need to put some cardboard in their shoes to go another couple of weeks or whether they can get some shoes, whether they can get lunch money for the children. Those are the folks you have got in mind?

Mr. ELLISON. Congresswoman Clarke, are you talking about those people who work so hard and struggle so much to make this country really go, that this Congress needs to respond to them when they need a hand? Are you talking about those people?

Mr. ELLISON

Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Chairman, demand for transit service is on the rise. In 2007, over 10 billion trips were taken on mass transit, a 50-year record. Last year, 2008, we had a 4.4 percent increase; and yet, people around the country are seeing decreases and more pressure is on public transportation and they can't keep up with demand. With this extra $3 billion in this package, we will put people to work and pursue a green economy and get people around.

Mr. ELLISON

Mr. ELLISON. Thank you, Congresswoman. Let me just say, tonight we have come together, members of the Progressive Caucus, a caucus organized, not based on ethnicity, like the Black Caucus or the Hispanic Caucus, not based on things like that, but based on our commonality of views, our value, what we all believe in. The Progressive Caucus represents diverse members of our congressional body, people from all over the country, different religions, different ethnic groups, all coming to project a progressive vision for our Nation. We believe in fighting for economic justice and security in the United States and global economies. We also believe in protecting and preserving civil rights and civil liberties. We also believe in promoting global peace and security. These are some of the essential core beliefs of the Progressive Caucus, and you can count on us to come, week in, week out, with the progressive message to talk about how these critical values impact you. Tonight we have spent time, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee and Congressman Raul Grijalva, talking about the imperial presidency that we have just seen ushered out of the door. We have seen a 500-page report, this big, thick, giant, humongous, enormous report full of facts and information in detail about allegations that the Bush administration may have overstepped its constitutional bounds. We believe this needs to be looked into. We believe the groundwork has been laid for an inquiry for a blue ribbon panel. The vehicle, we believe, that should be used to get to the bottom, to get to the truth, is H.R. 104. H.R. 104, which Members and their community can look it up and read it, but what it would tell you if you looked it up is it would contain 47 separate recommendations designed to restore our Constitution's traditional system of checks and balances. Chief among the recommendations are, one, continuation of congressional oversight; two, independent probes by the Justice Department; three, creation of a blue ribbon commission to fully investigate the activities; and they go on and on and on. You can look up the report online. It's there for you to look at it, at judiciary.house.gov/hearings/printers/110th. You can look it up that way. Finally, we want to look into and don't want the American people to forget that our constitutional system is delicate. It must be maintained. It is a three-part system of checks and balances, executive, judiciary and legislative. The legislative branch is the first one mentioned in the Constitution. We are a coequal branch of government. We don't work for the President, not the President we just got, Barack Obama, although we support him and wish him well. He is not our boss. The people are our boss. Also, we don't work for the President. We have a duty and an obligation to provide oversight to the executive. We need to get to the bottom of allegations of torture and inhumane treatment, extraordinary rendition, warrantless domestic surveillance, the U.S. Attorney General scandal, a contrived drive to go to war with Iraq, signing statements to override laws of the land, intimidation and silencing of critics. We need to get into what happened with Valerie Plame. Why didn't Rove, Bolton and Myers show up to the Judiciary hearing after they were duly served? These are issues the American people have a right to know, and we intend to get to the bottom of it. This is going to conclude the Progressive Message. Mr. Speaker, it has been a wonderful hearing.

Mr. ELLISON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman; and as we begin to wind down, I would like to invite Congresswoman Jackson-Lee of Texas to maybe give us a few concluding remarks. We are here, this hour, we like to call it the progressive message. It is a special order afforded to Members of Congress to talk about what the progressive message is, whether it's on issues of executive authority, reining in executive authority, the economy, whatever it is. We want to let the American people know what the Progressive Caucus is talking about. Would you like to give a few remarks as we come to the end of our hour tonight?

Mr. ELLISON. Thank you, Congresswoman. And we have only got about 15 more minutes; so we invite you to hang out with us a little bit. But we have got to hear from our illustrious chairman, who has helped lead the way for the Progressive Caucus. You've had a long time to reflect on what Congresswoman Jackson-Lee has said and, of course, you have some thoughts on your own. How does any of this stuff strike you, Mr. Chairman?

Mr. ELLISON. That's John Yoo and David Addington and people who worked for the Vice President?

Mr. ELLISON. Now, did the President do a signing statement when it came to the law that this body passed and he signed with regard to torture?

Mr. ELLISON. That's right. What does that mean to you?

Mr. ELLISON. Before you lead to this point, I just want to ask you another question. You and I and Chairman Grijalva only a few days ago raised our hands up and we said we would swear an oath to support and defend. What did we swear to support and defend? Can you tell us?

Mr. ELLISON. Reclaiming my time, could you speak on this critical issue. Some people might think that having a blue ribbon panel such as contemplated in H.R. 104 might be a backward-looking process and sort of be something about settling old scores now that the Dems have the White House and the Congress. But in your opinion as a lawyer of many years, what would such a process do in terms of signaling that such presidential behavior from a future President might not be permissible or might not be condoned if we were to have such a process?

Mr. ELLISON. The lacrosse team.

Mr. ELLISON

Mr. ELLISON. Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.