Jim McCrery

Mr. McCRERY

Mr. McCRERY. Madam Speaker, at this time I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished ranking member of the Financial Services Committee, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus).

Mr. McCRERY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished ranking member of the Tax Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. English).

Mr. McCRERY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Campbell).

Mr. McCRERY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished ranking member of the Trade Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger).

Mr. McCRERY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCRERY. Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to recognize for closing on our side the distinguished minority leader, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), who clearly was instrumental in getting this product developed through the floor and through the process. He has been lauded by a number of our colleagues here tonight, and rightfully so. So I am very pleased at this time to yield the balance of my time to Mr. Boehner.

Mr. McCRERY

Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to allow the ranking member of the Financial Services Committee the ability to control 20 minutes of the time on our side.

Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Parliamentary Inquiry

Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner).

Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. English), a ranking member on the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor).

Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, we're here this afternoon to discuss a matter that the President, the Treasury Department, former officials of the Clinton administration, all agree is extremely important for the economic health of the country. When we speak of the economic health, Mr. Speaker, we are talking about not only the rate of GDP growth, not only the health of the financial markets, we're talking about the impact on real people of a decline in the country's economic health; that means job losses, that means financial hardship for individuals and families. So the leadership, Mr. Speaker, of the House, Democratic and Republican, have worked hand in hand with the White House, the Treasury Department, to craft a package that we can call an economic growth package, an economic stimulus package. It doesn't matter to me what we call it. But it seems to me, Mr. Speaker, that the weight of the evidence, if we listen to the opinions of respected economists, respected former officials of the Treasury Department, current members of the Treasury Department, the weight of the evidence indicates to me, at least, that the downside of this Congress doing nothing right now is much greater than any downside of our doing something around the level that is being proposed by the leadership in this House and the White House in this package that we're considering this afternoon. So, Mr. Speaker, I am eagerly awaiting passage of this. I hope that the other body follows suit in an expeditious manner, and that we can get this package to the White House for the President's signature. And we hope that this will have the intended effect, which is to avert a recession, and to reduce the downturn that everybody agrees is underway right now. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 2 minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the ranking member on the Health Subcommittee, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Camp).

Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to a member of the Ways and Means Committee, the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller).

Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady), a member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. McCRERY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Herger), a member of the Ways and Means Committee and ranking member on the Subcommittee on Trade.

Mr. McCRERY. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry).

Mr. McCRERY. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays).

Mr. McCRERY. Very well. In that case, Madam Speaker, I would yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus), the ranking member of the Financial Services Committee, and then we will have one remaining speaker to close.

Mr. McCRERY. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCRERY. Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), the ranking member on the Financial Institutions Subcommittee of the Financial Services Committee.

Mr. McCRERY. Madam Speaker, we only have one remaining speaker to close. So assuming that the gentleman from Connecticut has additional speakers, I would ask that he be allowed to yield time.

Mr. McCRERY. Madam Speaker, so am I to understand that the majority has two remaining speakers, one from Financial Services, one from Ways and Means?

Mr. McCRERY. Madam Speaker, can I inquire from the gentleman from Connecticut how many speakers he has remaining.