Paul Tonko

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Thank you, Representative Ryan. You know, the talk about the contrasts, the sharp contrasts between the party in control now in the House, with the Democrats advancing dollars that invest in small business, invest in innovation as an economy, clean energy. You think of all those strategies compared to the catering to Big Oil, big banks, Wall Street, making certain the biggest amongst us are taken care of. I contrast that with all of the work being done in my district, in the 21st Congressional District in New York, in the Capital Region, it has always had a spirit of pioneer. It's in our DNA. We have within the confines of that district an energy revolution of sorts, it's the birthplace of electricity. So we're continuing on with a global center for renewable energy at GE, nanoscience in the district, the semiconductor industry, superconductive cable, talking about advanced battery manufacturing. When we looked at the Recovery Act and how the President wanted to bring us into the new ages, allow for transitioning, a transformation of the energy economy, that's what this is all about. What we have had expressed in this Recovery Act are opportunities to grow new opportunities with advanced battery manufacturing. The battery looked at by GE, as they're soon to establish their plant, not only provides, in its concept of an alternative battery, not only for generation of electricity, not only for powering heavy vehicles, but also it is there for energy storage, so that with the transmittent energy of renewables, that transmittent nature, the opportunities to provide for storage there creates all new opportunities, the battery as a linchpin. The same is true with superconductive cable, where you can transmit far more electrons per inch of cable compared to the traditional cable, where renewables are being developed and new opportunities with nanoscience to create lighter blades, more efficient outcomes, more power per dollar invested. All of this is what holds great promise for our economy, for jobs, for small business innovation, for the emerging technologies. That's what this investment is all about. And finally, you see a commitment to small business, to the pioneer spirit, to the invention and creative genius that has always been part of the American culture. So I'm really proud of the efforts that we're making to grow back this economy, to grow back the investments in basic research and R&D. That's what this is all about with the Recovery Act. I think that people are now looking at this contrast, Representative Ryan, they're looking at the slow, steady progress, that climb upward from what was a precipitous drop in that left-handed side of the V formation. The precipitous drop in jobs, in the growth in unemployment, the lack of investment, the household income loss, now has taken a sharp u-turn, and we see the road to recovery, the progress because of the wisdom of the types of investments made in the Recovery Act promoted by the White House and very much supported by Speaker Pelosi here.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today after weeks of outcry for action to acknowledge that BP has caved to pressure, and to discuss yesterday's steps by BP to finally put working families and small businesses ahead of shareholders and short-term corporate profits. Had BP acted with rigor and integrity from the beginning, we would not be forced into having this conversation right now. However, their shortsightedness has demanded a swift and aggressive response, which the President has provided. In the short term, we must stop the oil from continuing to spill and subsequently clean up our shores, making BP pay the tab. Our energy future is bright; it is filled with diversity, with clean energy and American jobs for America's workers. Let us heed the devastating message that this disaster sends to us. Let us build the strongest, most powerful and most competitive clean energy economy in the world. We can and we must rise to this challenge. Our children's future depends on it.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. I think we are going to have a sad answer there.

Mr. TONKO. Representative Garamendi, listening to Representative Moran from Virginia reminds us of the investment in technology that should accompany this situation. There should have been the checks and balances, and there should have been the investment; as he suggested, a drop-in-the-bucket investment compared to the damages now associated with this catastrophe. I know the people I represent in the 21st Congressional District watch with sadness as they see the news accounts that show us the day-to-day responses with regard to this disaster. We have heard a lot of talk about alternatives and technology that needs to be embraced to carry us into a clean energy economy. My region in the capital region of New York State is ripe with that sort of opportunity. It is investing in high-tech opportunities for clean energy jobs, in innovation, energy intellect, energy ideas, energy technology that will enable us to move forward with a progressive agenda. The fact that we have been held back by slogans and mantras such as ``drill, baby, drill'' have held back the progress. Even the likes of T. Boone Pickens has said we can't drill our way out of the energy crises of this country or the world. We need to embrace that new technology. We need to bring about the type of jobs that will allow for a clean energy economy to take hold, and to make certain that we invest in those subsidies that will take us into renewables like utilizing our sun and our wind and our soil and our water to create and respond to the energy generation that we require. I think that is so very important.

Mr. TONKO. Representative Garamendi, thank you for bringing us together in this very thoughtful way. It's great to join you and Representative Chu and others who will be participating in this hour of dialogue where we really look in a very laser-sharp, focused way at this very tragic occurrence in the Gulf. Obviously, I think it's important to recognize the commitment made by the President and his administration to make certain that we do everything we can possible to make certain that we stay on this case of cleanup and capping. Certainly, shutting off that leak of that oil well is incredibly important and the cleanup in that Gulf area that impacts the Gulf States is absolutely essential. And to have the President recognize that we have deployed some 30,000 workers that will be in the midst of that activity, helping, is important; to know that over 5,000 vessels have been solicited and that our National Guard numbers--over 17,500 forces--out there making a difference is important. But let's really look at the some of the situation here. I really get concerned and joined with some Members in this House to advance correspondence to the BP CEO, stating very clearly with my colleagues that their priorities spoke volumes as to where they rest as a corporation. To have suggested that payments be made to investors as a high priority, be established as a high priority; to suggest that dollars going to marketing go to revamping their image, enhance their image, while we sit there and look for ways to cap this leak, while we continue to make certain that we need resources to clean up the Gulf, that didn't seem to be a very high priority with this company. And so it was, I think, very appropriate for us to respond in very forceful measure to address this strong language in a letter to the organization, to BP management, and state that what you really need to do is re-prioritize to make certain that what comes as the most important, essential bit of work here as you invest dollars--and they best ought to--as you do that, the priority has got to be to cap that leak, to clean up the Gulf, to make certain that we make whole the individuals, the States, the communities that surround that given region; to make certain that businesses are allowed to function again. When we think of the impact on agriculture, on tourism, on the seafood industry, to name a few, the impact on our ecosystem, on the environment, on the wildlife, it is painful to watch the news accounts of this continuing saga of a tragedy. And so their priorities were misplaced and totally insensitive to the needs of people and industries and certainly the wildlife in this given region. I had stated clearly at a press conference where we aired this letter that it was important for them to not be so concerned about their image but rather deal with the basics. And I said, Before you shore up your image, clean up our shores. I think it's straightforward and easily understood. That's where I would like to see the priorities. And today, after pressure from the President and many of us in Congress, I think the company has heard the message. They have been given this forceful statement, and they are now responding to the pressure by suggesting they are setting up an account that will respond to some of these needs. They are setting up an account that will deal with the compensation fund for oil workers who are out of work because of the catastrophe. Now, one can only imagine what would have been the outcome, how much less impacting the outcome would have been, if they had embraced the same order of integrity when it came to the technology they should have utilized with the drilling operation. You know, they asked to go 5,000 feet deeper. They want to drill a mile deeper. But the impact of the damage, without the right technology and discipline and regulation, meant hundreds of miles of spread. From that 1 mile deeper, hundreds of miles of impact because of that lack of integrity. And so I am here with you this evening in spirit and in voice to say that we need to stay on this dilemma, we need to stay on this catastrophe, until all of the essentials are done--the clean up, the capping, the reforms that are essential--and making certain that the dollars, the resources are coming from the source--the source of the pollution here--in this case, BP. So, thank you, Representative Garamendi, for bringing us together, and it's great to join you and our colleagues here this evening.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. It was an intentional game of ``gotcha.'' Here sat in the balcony representatives of labor and representatives from the United States Chamber of Commerce, a broad spectrum of support for a bill that takes America to the cutting edge, allows her to invest in smart manufacturing, and to compete effectively in a global marketplace, to invest in science and technology, to make certain that we're state-of- the-art, that we're investing in research and development, which translates into jobs. All of that activity thwarted by a game of politics on this floor. It didn't matter--it didn't matter--that nearly 2 million jobs could be created; that we could become a more competitive Nation. That didn't matter. And ``no'' wasn't enough of a force to stop it. So we resort to political games. That's the sort of record that the public will scrutinize, and they will say, Look, we see the slow and steady progress. We believe in this. To your point, Representative Boccieri, about setting up the goalposts, setting up the parameters for this program, yes, allowing the capitalist model to work but making certain that there's discipline, discipline in the situation and the scenario, so that we go forward and invest and know that we recover with lucrative dividends.

Mr. TONKO. I think mismanagement and bad government are totally unacceptable.

Mr. TONKO. Thank you, Representative Wasserman Schultz. And thank you for bringing us together for this Special Order which obviously will speak to the wisdom of sound policy that breaks from the failed policies of the past. What is startling is that we should have learned from decades ago that the trickle-down theory simply does not work. It does not work because there wasn't a benefit felt by the working middle class, a large group of people across this country who in many situations live paycheck to paycheck, putting aside money for their mortgage payment, putting aside savings for college for their children, putting aside some reserves for unexpected expenses. That kind of situation must be responded to. And I think the fact that you talk about 98 percent of Americans getting what was now recorded to be historically the largest middle income tax cut in this Nation's history was a big part of the Recovery Act. It is what started to circulate the dollars. When we look at the economic advice that we got, not only as the House of Representatives, but the United States Senate and the White House, with President Obama and Congress being advised by a team of economists that ranged over the broad spectrum of philosophy in the world of economics, and from the far-right thinking to the far-left thinking, from more conservative viewpoints to the more liberal viewpoints, there were recommendations made by this panel of economists who spoke to the priorities that needed to be embraced by this Nation. The time had more than passed to invest in the recovery for America, and the results are astounding. When we look at the Recovery Act, we can witness that the bleeding has stopped. The telltale indicators suggest in many cases that there is slow and steady progress, that the bleeding has stopped, and the Recovery Act can be credited for that. The investments that were made were in three categories: tax cuts, as the representative, the gentlewoman from Florida indicated, a historically large impact, a historic largest middle income tax cut for this Nation. That was shared with the middle income community, the working families of this country. Next, an effort made for issues like FMAP and education aid that went to States. I know that my home State of New York did extremely well with the Medicaid relief monies, did extremely well with the education investments so that we are able to keep some of the public sector employment situations, from educators to public safety, alive and well, and to allow for those families who were in need of assistance to receive some of the Recovery Act monies. And the unanimity with which the economists spoke in this situation simply was driven by the very forceful thinking that these entitlement situations--the need for food and clothing and shelter in tough times where people were finding themselves without a job through no fault of their own were allowed then to, with dignity, continue forward in these tough times; and they reinvested in the local regional economies. That got the local economies circulating and began the work, the progress of pulling ourselves out of this recession, which was, again, a historic situation as was witnessed by the previous speaker. And then finally, investments, investments in a way that went to projects that were back-burnered, investments in technology, technology and education, in energy situations, in health care, in all sorts of activities, in transportation and infrastructure, utilizing technology in a way that could take those issues that were displaced, put onto the back burners were now brought forward by the Obama administration and by the leadership of this House with Speaker Pelosi and others leading us in the votes for recovery. And what happened was that, for instance, in the area of energy, we're creating jobs. Now, the Representative from Florida, Representative Wasserman Schultz, told us that we're now seeing hundreds of thousands of jobs this year added to the recovery, 84 percent of which, I would point out, are private sector. So that's the way we want to grow the jobs. But how is it happening? It's happening with investment in technology, investment in smart meters, smart thermostats, smart grids that enable to us have more control over our destiny as energy consumers. That is not only job growth, private-sector job growth, but it is also investing in a way that allows us to be cutting-edge competitive and to provide for a stronger quality of life and for a more competitive edge for our business community. We also invest in health care with technology, making certain that duplication and mistakes and inefficiencies in the health care system are avoided, and we can go forward with a stronger outcome--a savings, again, for consumers who would have to pay for this duplication and for these mistakes. Then there is the investment in education so that students are now able to have a stretching of the education resources in the classroom and where they can have a first-class opportunity to think outside their neighborhoods in which they live, where they can be more worldly in the classroom, through technology, in order to witness some of the great things that are happening out there. This is a great opportunity for us to, this evening, talk about the differences, to contrast the differences out there--the failed policies of the past, Representative Wasserman Schultz, that brought about 8 million jobs lost in a recession. That outdoes the Great Depression. Many of my constituents out there will tell me that they recall the Great Depression, and 8 million jobs surpass that situation. So we started out in a very difficult situation, and I know that, with the Recovery Act, we are beginning to make progress. We are going to continue to stay on this slow and steady course that will enable us to come back from what was a very deep hole. Representative Wasserman Schultz, I know that we are joined now by our friend and colleague from the State of Pennsylvania, Representative Kathy Dahlkemper, who, like me, is a member of the freshman class here in this great House of Representatives, who is one of those great additions to the House and who is an enjoyable force with whom to work. So, Representative Dahlkemper, I know that you wanted to jump in and share your thoughts on our recovery here.

Mr. TONKO. If the gentlewomen will yield, it's interesting. You know, you talk about these observations that have been shared in publications, but as early as April 16, I believe, Fortune Magazine talked about the Recovery Act's working, that the President's policies were having their presence felt. They talked about it as a sharp turn. Interestingly, if we see the pattern of the retail sales that you presented in chart format, the household wealth recovery chart and this GDP scaling, they all had that same graphic. It's this sharp V formation, that precipitous dive, straight-line dive, from early 2008 into the beginning of 2009. Here is another one on the path to economic recovery and then that slow and steady straight line of recovery. So, to me, it's blatantly obvious there was this continuation of decline, and you can't help but wonder what would have happened if we had allowed the failed policies of the past to continue or if this President and if this Congress had not stepped up to the plate.

Mr. TONKO. Absolutely.

Mr. TONKO. So we can see these V formations; that downward straight line impact that could have kept going, but we changed directions. And now, we're told by our colleagues in the House on the other side, It's not quick enough. We've made a wonderful recovery here. We have stopped the bleeding, and we're climbing upward. The analogy used by the President, where they drove the car into the ditch, and then it took a tough bit of effort to pull that car out of the ditch, and they're saying, Give us back the keys. Well, I think the public is now understanding that very failed policies were governing our economy. It brought America to her knees. And we saw the lack of regulation with big business, big banks, Wall Street, credit card companies, big oil. Gosh, we see what is happening in the Gulf. All sorts of big special interests that had a heyday. No regulation. No watchdog in the equation. Let us run free. Let us be in a situation of laissez-faire. Government is bad. No restriction. Let it just run free. Well, capitalism works, but you also need guidance. You need some sort of measurement, some sort of discipline that errs on the side of the consumer, the taxpayer, whomever, the small business. And the recovery here is about smart policy. It's about progressive policy. It's about taking what was broken and fixing it. And, you know, don't stand on the sidelines and say, We're watching you mop; you're not mopping quick enough. No. Pick up a mop and help us clean up what has been messed up here. I think the public now is understanding. They're seeing this big oil company that got us into trouble now, is harming the environment, is impacting the economy of the Gulf States. They're understanding now that regulation for certain big groups out there is essential. Regulation for Wall Street was essential. Our work, to make certain that we help the small business community by assisting them with loan opportunities, working with community banks to open up the credit lines; the backbone of our economy, the springboard to our recovery is through small business. And this was an era that preceded us that was about special interest, big companies, big industries getting all sorts of favorable review and treatment while small business and middle-income America struggled. Struggled to live paycheck to paycheck while greed--greed--predominated on the scene and really brought this economy to its knees and caused undue hardship, unnecessary hardship to folks, ranging from those in their senior years, who had retirement accounts destroyed. And what do our folks say here on the other side? Privatize Medicare. Privatize the situation for Social Security. This is a choice here. It's a contrast. It's a difference. Big oil companies, big banks, Wall Street, special interests, give them free rein; or assist the small business community, work for incentives and relief, tax relief for middle-income Americans. There's a contrast here. And it's that V formation. Just as that line went precipitously south, we're now going north. So is the contrast. Sharp and clear. And I think, more and more, the general public is saying, No, you don't get back the keys. You don't deserve to get back the keys to the car.

Mr. TONKO. If the gentleman from Ohio would yield. Mr. Boccieri, you struck something in me when you talked about the party of ``no.'' Even the party of ``no,'' it was not good enough to say ``no'' to an issue like America COMPETES. On this very floor, we had the opportunity to create millions of jobs through an investment in manufacturing; an investment in STEM, science, technology, engineering and math, for our students out there to train the workforce of the future; to invest in basic research; R&D; to do all sorts of incentives for business. Not only was it not enough to say ``no,'' because we had the votes with the ``no'' votes from the other side. We still had many more votes favorable. But then it was a game of politics to just drop the progress, kill the progress of America COMPETES to the point where the issue had to be resolved through all sorts of negotiations over a couple of weeks. So it held back progress.

Mr. TONKO. But effective government, sound government where you're investing in a way that will grow back the economy, where you're creating the discipline that was so essential. Just looking at the gulf today, understanding that all of this heartache could have been avoided had there been some sort of discipline where you weren't taking shortcuts to perhaps grow that profit column, where you weren't--as the 97 percent report required, you weren't investing in technology. And so all across the board we see these situations where it was just, like, run on your own. Don't let anybody control you or discipline you. We will be there. We'll be your friend. You are a big special interest. Now it's like bringing it back, reining it in, and saying, My gosh, look at that $11.5 trillion deficit. That red bar goes so deep on that chart. When we look at that chart, it's so obvious to the naked eye that something had to be done differently. You couldn't continue the failed policies of the past. We would have been in such a deep hole. Again, it was tough pulling that car out of the ditch, but we got it out of that ditch, and I think the contrast now is, Do you give back the keys to the people who drove the car in the ditch? Or do you allow them to go forward and continue the progress? I think that it's a very stark contrast.

Mr. TONKO. I, by the way, had lunch with one of those.

Mr. TONKO. Well, I don't get to watch TV too much. All of us know we're out in the districts working all the time. But I do understand the concept of a show called, ``Are You Smarter than a Fifth-Grader?'' So we will put it out to the fifth-graders and say, Would you prefer 8 million jobs lost, or would you prefer over a half million, over perhaps three-quarters of a million jobs returned, 84 percent in the private sector category? I think the fifth-grader would say, Give me the job growth, not the job loss. And you go down that list, and I think the fifth-grader is going to tell us that this is pretty clear. It's a contrast that I understand. And it's important. I think it's about choices. Is it fast enough? We would all love instant response. We would love millions of jobs in one quarter. But after we witnessed $18.5 trillion lost to household incomes over an 18-month span during the Bush recession--that's about a trillion dollars per month lost to household income--to now recover $6 trillion, a 30 percent recovery of that loss, is a move in the right direction. Again, a fifth-grader would say, I'd rather take a $6 trillion gain than an $18.5 trillion loss for households. So it becomes more and more apparent that the Recovery Act isn't working; that it's about small business incentives, tax relief for small businesses investing in basic research, research and development, embracing science and technology, building a clean energy economy, growing an innovation economy, supporting emerging technologies. These are all dynamics of strength. And the confluence of these dynamics of strength mean a growing economy and one that can base itself on cutting edge in design and format. I think it's a strong comeback, and we need to maintain the course of recovery.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. My amendment, to which I would like to speak, encourages the Department of Defense to help develop the next generation of semiconductors. It allows us to embrace the American intellect and put it into an investment towards better outcomes in our military. These new technologies will focus on scaling. Scaling of processors to the point that the next generation of weapons systems would be lighter, more agile, consume less power, and at the same time be more powerful. As important as our future weapons systems are, so, too, is it essential for us to maintain our global competitiveness in nanotechnology to achieve both of these goals for the military, and for business creation and innovation. We need to achieve these goals through the Department of Defense and having them critically involved. This amendment asks the Department of Defense to support the creation of a public-private partnership of defense laboratory scientists and engineers, university researchers, integrated circuit designers and fabricators, tool manufacturers, material and chemical suppliers, and metrology and inspection tool fabricators to develop extreme ultraviolet lithography technologies on 300- and 450-micrometer wafers. A partnership of such would bring all the stakeholders and financial resources to one location and would be vital to our Nation if we're going to compete in the global race for the next generation of semiconductors. I ask my colleagues to support this very key amendment.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the 13th annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Expo and Forum that is slated to take place tomorrow. The topic of this expo is especially timely. Last year, China invested $34.6 billion in clean energy while the United States invested $18.6 billion, a distant second. We have an energy problem, and we need to address it. At this forum, there are over 50 businesses, clean energy trade associations, government agencies, and energy policy research organizations that will be showcasing their technologies. On efficiency: We should drill and mine energy efficiency the way we are so gluttonously dependent on drilling for oil and mining for coal. On renewable energy: We should invest in sustainable energy and new technologies to build our energy independence and to once again create American manufacturing jobs. I ask my colleagues to join me in welcoming this year's participants at the expo and encourage my colleagues to stop by the Cannon Caucus Room to see the exhibits.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Well, I think the contrast is clear. You know, when it came to whether you want a watchdog in the equation, when it comes to Wall Street behavior, Democrats in the House say yes. Republicans say no. Do you want to have consumer protection for the general public out there that invests? The Democrats say yes. Republicans say no.

Mr. TONKO. You are so very right. The gentleman from Ohio outlined the greed that was allowed to take over because there was no watchdog in the equation. Tonight, in this Special Order hour, we are sharing with the American public the sharp contrast, the change in direction, the choices that exist out there in terms of, do we pursue this course and climb out of this recession and continue along the path of progress, or do we go back into the Bush recession era and go to those choices where we cater to these special interests? When we talk about these bank outcomes, with this investment financial community and all of the woes that accompanied it, we're talking about everyday people who perhaps live paycheck to paycheck and go to work and are proud of the living that they earn. This is the sort of community that got impacted, homeowners who lost their homes, retirees who had relied upon these savings and the growth of these savings upon which to retire, totally evaporating from their surroundings. Looking at small businesses not being able to have credit lines available because the community banks were impacted by the big banks, this is an alignment with the special interest community, from big banks to Big Oil to insurance companies, to the credit card companies. And the gentleman from California is wanting to jump in here. I think, you know, the choice is very clear to me.

Mr. TONKO. Representative Garamendi, I believe you are citing yet another contrast we can feel is coming in the near future. But we can even point to history, just recent past history about the Wall Street reform package that came before the House, yet another contrast, yet another choice that becomes very clear in terms of the behavior patterns here to the American people. The Wall Street reform legislation gave us a golden opportunity to fix what is broken on Wall Street, to deal with consumer protection when it comes to predatory lending, when it came to addressing executive bonuses and salaries, when it came to providing a watchdog in the equation. We are joined by another colleague, another freshman in the House who is yet another powerful voice. It is just a great class to work with. As a fellow freshman, I am enjoying this first term in Congress, because we see fresh thinking, we see soundness of advocacy. We are joined by the gentleman from Ohio, Representative Driehaus, who has been banging away at reforms, and again speaks to the contrast, the change, the change in thinking that I think aligns up a very sharp choice as we move toward this fall's campaign activity.

Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, we are going to use the time made available to us in the majority to speak this evening about contracts and about choices--about the change in the direction that this Nation is pursuing. It is important for us, I believe, Madam Speaker, to talk about the changed order of policies, the new direction, the opportunities that we believe are essential if we are going to grow this economy after having witnessed what many would suggest to have been the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. It took a turnaround in thinking. It took new leadership. It took a transition from the failed policies of the past. The Bush recession, the Republican policies that dominated Washington, brought us into economic woes. It brought this country into a situation that found people in the ranks of the unemployed and brought the American economy to its knees--as I indicated, the worst since the Great Depression. What I think is important to note is that, when we talk about choices, when we talk about contrasts, it is looking at where the allegiances lie. With the Republican Party, it was siding with big banks, with Wall Street, with the big oil companies, with credit card companies, certainly with the insurance industry, and in making certain that those special interests were their priorities. Well, the turnaround here is an alignment with the American worker. Rather than with special interests, the Democrats have aligned with the American worker. Rather than with big oil companies and big banks, the Democrats have aligned with American families. Certainly, when it comes to the special interests that were held precious by the Republican leadership of the past, we here, as Democrats, have aligned with small business and in seeing that as the springboard to a recovery, in seeing that as the backbone of our economy. So there is a difference. There is a change of heart. There is a policy enhancement that finds us moving in a new direction. What has that meant? I believe that one needs merely to look at the statistics out there. Let's look at the facts. This chart here will show us in very stark contrast where we were headed with the economy over the last several years. The red lines, the bar graphs of red, will show us that severe drop, that constant loss in jobs, in payrolls, across this country. Then, finally, a change in direction with the blue bars suggests the turnaround, the investment through policy that has enabled us to begin the climb upward. This formation of red and blue will show the sharp contrast. It will show the choices--the priority shift, if you will-- where we have now begun to climb forward, where we are now experiencing absolute job growth. Since December of 2009, this Nation has experienced some 573,000 jobs created, 84 percent of which are in the private sector category. That has been a goal to enable us to grow the economy, to create and retain jobs and to add to that private sector column. This goal is beginning to be achieved. Now, one needs to recall that the changes here in our economy are not going to come nearly as quickly as we would like, because the problem, the dilemma, the siding with special interests, occurred over a number of years. So, with the change of leadership with the Obama administration, with the leadership in the House and, certainly, in the United States Senate, we have been able to march forward in a way that allows us to speak with dignity toward the American worker, to speak with compassion toward the American family, and to speak with productivity and growth toward the small business community. How do we do that? Well, there are a number of measures that have been proposed and passed here in the House, in both Houses, and in some cases that have been signed by the President. We are still in the midst of unfinished business, but we are continuing to work on a number of items. What we have currently is in this last bit of recovery where we are seeing that over one-half million jobs added to the picture are in sharp contrast-- again, contrast and change here--to the 8 million jobs lost through the course of the Bush recession. That rivals--in fact, it surpasses--the statistics, the job losses, from the Great Depression. It is a change in thinking where we embrace science and technology, where we look toward the strengths of an innovation economy, one that can use the American intellect and that can embrace the intellectual capacity of this Nation to not only advance research and development and basic research, which translates into jobs, but to also create new products, new discoveries, innovation that leads to businesses, that leads to production, that leads to job security and job growth, oftentimes, again, in the private sector. So it was this stewardship of our economy arriving on the scene, inheriting a gross bit of policy that drove us deep into a recession, that found an impact not only on American workers and on the budgets of American households but on house sales and on all sorts of investments that need to be part of a robust economy. All of these were dulled. The competitiveness of business was dulled simply by this recession. Again, the contrasts and the change, the choices. As we approach an election this November for Members of this House, which will be a report card on the progress made to date, it is important to note that there is a changed order of thinking--the choice to be one of tremendously stark contrast, one that will look at hope, inspired simply by the opportunity to land a job. Now, there are still millions of people out of work. We know that. We are not happy yet with the point at which we've arrived. It is not our final destination, but it is certainly a climb in the right direction, and it is a climb out of what was a very low, low pit in the Nation's economy. Let's look at the contrasts. Again, there are those who would have chosen and did choose to align with Wall Street, with big banks, with credit card companies, with Big Oil, with the insurance industry, with special interests. They had their day and made our day extremely gloomy and dark, made our economy bleak. However, there are those who align with American households, with America's families, with the hardworking middle class, with small business, with senior populations, most of whom are looking to enjoy those golden years and who have been threatened by this crash that has hurt us so badly. Let's look at some of those opportunities that we've had here in the House--opportunities to work with the President, opportunities to work with the leadership in the House of Representatives. We had an opportunity called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Many would like to suggest that it should have been avoided, that we should not have invested through what are economically difficult times. Well, a panel of a cross-section of economists, from very conservative thinking to more liberal thinking, in advising the President, the White House--the President's administration--and in the panel's advising both Houses, both parties in each of the Houses as to where and how to recover the economy, advanced the notion that investing in these difficult times was essential, investing in a way that found a growth of some 2.8 million jobs to date with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. That includes individuals in the public sector, which includes our educators, teachers, the school system, and support personnel. It includes public safety, which includes our police officers, our firefighters, who are essential to the quality of life of communities. Educators are essential to growing the workforce of tomorrow. These were important measures, again, equating to some 2.8 million jobs that are part of that recovery--keeping Americans working, keeping services provided. More than a third of the package of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act came in the form of tax cuts for 98 percent of America's workers and her small business community, so there were advancements there of the largest historic tax cut in this Nation's history. For that income strata, it is a part of this package that is easily documented and that should be touted as a form of relief that engaged this economy. It allowed for people to circulate the dollars in their regional economies and, again, to see the climb out of this difficult and very deep and painful recession. It also allowed, as an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, for us to play catchup with investments that were long overdue--investments in the area of clean energy, which is where this Nation looks to advance and needs to advance the concepts of energy security; in the enhancement of energy independence; and, yes, in national security. For as we reach to experts and their opinions, many suggest that our gluttonous dependency on fossil-based fuels not only endangers our environment but finds us shipping hundreds of billions of dollars per year to unfriendly and unstable governments that will oftentimes, as we put those American consumer dollars into these foreign treasuries of unfriendly governments, utilize these dollars against our troops in the Middle East. Don't take our word for it. Take the word of those who are part of the tool of Veterans for American Power. They recently traveled to New York State, which was the only stop made by the tour of our veterans who defend this Nation's liberties and her principles. These veterans made a stop in New York State. It was our fortune to host them in Schenectady, New York, part of the 21st Congressional District, where we were joined by vintages of veterans, including our World War II vets, who were the oldest in the clustery. They listened intently to the message, and the message was this: We witnessed daily on the battlefield what was happening. Dollars were invested into the treasuries and then spent to train the Taliban that would then go to harm and threaten our American troops. So they said that, if we do not resolve this climate change/global warming issue, the battle they see out there will be enhanced because, with flooding and drought and, therefore, famine, we will have a weaker people around the globe with lesser and lesser available land--a perfect storm if you will--that will then create the chances and will enhance the situation of terrorist activity. As they look for less available land with a weakened people, it enhances that concept. So they said we witnessed the destruction and the devastation to our troops, funded by our sending dollars into the treasuries of these unfriendly nations. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allows us to break away from those concepts, from that thinking. It allows for a new mindset. It takes projects from the back burner to the front burner. It allows us to invest, as we have, in a clean energy economy with the Recovery Act, enabling us to talk about smart grids, smart thermostats, smart metering. It is an investment in our transportation and distribution system--the artery and veins of how we wheel electrons to the workplace and to the homeplace. That is part of the Recovery Act so as to invest in a way that grows jobs in research, that grows jobs in trades over to Ph.D.'s. It goes on and on with broadband opportunities for our communities that are economically distressed or that are rural in nature or that are remote in location. It allows for us to invest in education, with technology in the classroom, to stretch opportunities for our Nation's students. It allows us to invest in health care with technology introduced into record keeping imaging and in making certain that mistakes and unnecessary duplications are avoided. So that is one investment that we made here in the House. We had a choice. The President placed it before the House. Democrats said yes. Republicans said no. And repeatedly, the contrast, the choices, the differences that need to be understood by the public out there, are what we are talking about here this evening. I am joined by a fellow freshman who has an outstanding record in the State of California. He was a State leader there, knowledgeable, extremely knowledgeable on insurance issues and small business issues, and a leader extraordinaire. This evening we are joined by the gentleman from California, Representative Garamendi. I welcome you, Representative. Share with us your thoughts on change and contrast.

Mr. TONKO. Thank you so much for joining us this evening, Mr. Driehaus. And Representative Garamendi, thank you. And I'm sure you have some final statements that you'd like to make.

Mr. TONKO. If my colleagues would yield, the colloquy you developed reminds me that the change in thinking here, the policies initiated and the change in direction, I think it was Fortune magazine in its April 16 issue said, the economy has taken a sharp U-turn, and they're applauding the efforts of achievement in this short time frame to date. What I think has been sparked here is a sense of optimism. We see the confidence growing. And so that can't help but grow the economy and get a fresher feel. Because people were weighted down by this recession, which was extremely painful and long. What it does also I think is tap into the pioneer spirit that is always in the DNA of this country. It is part of our fabric as a people, as a society. We see it time and time again. Throughout the course of history, this Nation has stories that are replete with the sense of courage and determination and optimism. I represent a district in Upstate New York that is the host to the Erie Canal bed that gave birth to a westward movement, an industrial revolution that grew the United States and impacted the world. Because as we developed this necklace of communities called mill towns, they became the epicenter of invention and innovation. And it was all the intellect of the worker and the pride of producing along that assembly line process, these discoveries that would be the magic to enhance the quality of life of people not just in these United States, but around the world. That same magic can be prompted today. And it is the turnaround in policies, it's the fairness, it's the focus on American job production, American energy independence, innovation. My gosh, I know that the history of Schenectady, the birthplace of electricity, was the place that converted a factory that was producing locomotives. And we had mostly women at that time in World War II changing their agenda, rolling up the sleeves--you can see the Rosie the Riveter symbolism-- and producing for the troops. They were producing for the troops. The transitioning, the transformation, came because of the intellect and the can-do attitude of American workers. And so I think we've tapped into this resource in a way that is very powerful. And it's not just turning around the economy, it's showing respect, it's enhancing the dignity of the American worker, and it's bringing us together as a people so that we can grow this economy. To me, that is the validity here. And tonight this discussion of contrast, of change, of choices couldn't be more clear. We cannot afford to fall back into those Republican recessionary policies. We cannot afford to fall back to the huge deficit inherited by this administration, passed on from the Bush administration after it inherited a surplus. So the choice, the contrast, the change that should be endorsed, becomes very clear to me.

Mr. TONKO

Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Wall Street reform and American jobs. In my opinion, the debate on Wall Street reform is straightforward; there are those who support hardworking American families and small businesses against those who wish to protect the status quo and big Wall Street banks, which are to blame for the current recession. We must hold Wall Street accountable, protect American families from unfair, abusive financial practices, close the gaps in our financial system, create certainty and stability in our tumultuous markets, and act now. It is time we streamline government and put a cop on the beat of Wall Street to protect American families and businesses. Absent this cop, Wall Street will regulate itself, as it did under the previous administration. The American economy cannot afford to live through that real-life tragedy again, and neither can her families. In fact, under the leadership of this Congress and President Obama, we are on pace to create as many jobs in 2010 as President Bush created in his entire 8 years in office.