Swift and unprecedented action to shore up Wall Street must come alongside equally swift and serious efforts to help struggling families on Main Street, create new jobs, and grow our middle-class once more.

Truly, we are all in this together.

It is critical at this point that the markets and the public have confidence that their work will be unimpeded by partisan wrangling, and that leaders in both parties work in concert to solve the problem at hand.

The events of the last few days have made it clear that we must take further bold and decisive action to shore up confidence in our financial markets and avoid a deepening economic crisis that could jeopardize the life savings and…

We are facing one of the most serious financial crises in this nation's history.

This isn't a time for fear or panic.

For too long, this Administration has been willing to hit the fast-forward button in helping distressed Wall Street firms.

Taxpayers must share in any upside benefit that such stability brings.

We must take equally swift and serious action to help lift the burdens they face every day.

This plan must be temporary and coupled with tough new oversight and regulations of our financial institutions.

These extraordinary steps must be designed with only the public good in mind, not to enhance the personal gain of CEOs and management at taxpayers' expense.