Kendrick Meek: “I commend my good friends, Congresswoman Corrine Brown and Congresswoman Hilda Solis, for organizing this Special Order…”

“I commend my good friends, Congresswoman Corrine Brown and Congresswoman Hilda Solis, for organizing this Special Order and for their leadership in bringing public attention to the disproportionate impact of the post-September 11th economic downturn on minority communities. Mr. Speaker, the September 11th attacks have radically altered business prospects throughout our country. No community has been spared. While even places thousands of miles from the destruction of September 11th have been severely affected, tourist dependent communities that rely upon the airlines and the hotel industry, like my home town of Miami, have been particularly hard hit. Mr. Speaker, the post-September 11th economic downturn has been difficult for many Americans. It has been particularly devastating to the African-American community, both nationally and in my congressional district in Miami. We are in the midst of an economic crisis in the African-American community. My constituents desperately need relief. They need help and they need it now. It's scandalous that, almost 3 months after the despicable attacks of September 11th, we have yet to pass any meaningful relief for our workers and their families.”