Leonard L. Boswell: “I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this. And, again, I want to say this amendment does not kill the bill.…”

“I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this. And, again, I want to say this amendment does not kill the bill. Republicans have put forth a bill that again forces our middle class and our working families to sacrifice, sacrifice, and sacrifice so they can continue the giveaways for Big Oil, billionaires, and corporations that outsource American jobs. As a former professional soldier, I approach our economy with a military eye to take the hill and get our economy going again, and we need all of our troops behind us. In this case, our troops are our workers, the middle class Americans who must be healthy and armed with the tools to rebuild the economy. Our camps are the communities that must have the resources to do just that. So why are our troops and communities in rural America being left behind? Rural Main Streets in Iowa have been devastated as Republicans have rewarded outsourcing. Manufacturing plants in my district, like Maytag--all of you know who Maytag is--in Newton, Iowa, they have packed up and moved their jobs to Mexico. Many of you have similar situations. Rural workers have lost jobs in ethanol, biodiesel, and wind turbine plants because we have given tax breaks to Big Oil while cutting investments in renewable energy. These communities have weathered farm crisis after crisis, as Republicans defend Wall Street speculators tinkering with the markets that they depend on.…”