Douglas Alexander: “That's what I was told today when I asked when people would start getting the $400 checks created by the recent tax cut…”

“That's what I was told today when I asked when people would start getting the $400 checks created by the recent tax cut that I supported and helped pass in Congress. I asked because I know that these checks are an important part of the economic stimulus package that my colleagues and I created. However, while I am happy with the fact that many families will soon be receiving these checks, I am not totally satisfied. I am not satisfied because in the last-minute negotiations between the House and Senate, low-income families were left out of the tax bill. That is why we offer to extend the tax credit to families who are currently being left out. To make that goal simpler to achieve, I urged my colleagues to accept a nearly identical Senate bill which accomplishes the same thing. It passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support. The President has urged its passage. Now it is time for the House to get on board and do the same. There is no excuse for inaction, no excuse to leave out one out of four families in Louisiana that are today looking at an empty mailbox wondering when their economic incentive check will arrive from Washington.”