My Congressman on the Stimulus

Here is my Congressman's response as to why he voted for the stimulus.

Dear Mr. Wolfe:

Thank you for contacting our office about H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
H.R. 1 was signed into law by the President on February 17, 2009. It was first passed by the House of Representatives, then sent to the Senate, where it was changed. Both chambers then met in conference to resolve differences between their bills and members were briefed again on the evening before the vote. The final revised bill passed the House by a vote of 246-183 and by the Senate 60-38.

While this bill is not perfect, I voted to support it because Maryland is at a 15-year high for unemployment, with national job losses near the 2 million mark for the last year. I have been contacted by many constituents from our district who are out of work and their families are suffering. We are facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. While I would have preferred if the package was devoted entirely to infrastructure, to create jobs and provide aid to cash-strapped states and cities for schools and roads, bills do not progress without compromise. Doing nothing was not an option.

This bill has been a continuous process for five months. Since the market has crashed, we have been briefed by economists on both sides of the aisle to determine the best way to alleviate our country’s dire financial situation. I take my job very seriously, studied the bill carefully, and concluded that it would be in the best interest of my district, state and country to support it. We must remind ourselves that we are one country working together to take the first step on the road to recovery.

There is some misinformation about the bill which I would like to clarify. A few people have objected to the size of the package and disagree with some of the intended recipients of these federal dollars.

Suggestions have been made that ACORN, a low to medium income advocacy group, will directly receive funds from this stimulus. This is untrue. Most of these stimulus dollars will pass through state and local government agencies and be injected directly into local projects. · Democratic Leaders also removed the bill’s provision that would have allowed states to offer family planning services, including contraceptives, under Medicaid without receiving a federal waiver.

In terms of so-called pork barrel spending, Republicans objected to stimulus dollars for revitalization of the National Mall. President Obama and Democratic Leaders agreed to delete $200 million for this project, even though Mall repairs and maintenance have been neglected for years while it is heavily used for demonstrations and events.

Ultimately, the bill provides a total of $787 billion in spending and tax cuts, with more than a third of the total ($300 billion) for individuals and businesses. H.R. 1 also provides a payroll tax credit of $400 for individuals and $800 for married couples, which translates into a larger paycheck.

I understand you may disagree with me and I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns. It will take years to recover from this unprecedented economic storm, and I believe H.R. 1 will prove a better alternative than inaction.

Sincerely,

C.A. Dutch RuppersbergerMember of Congress