John Kerry: “first I would like to thank Senate Finance Committee Chairman Baucus and Ranking Member Grassley for their prompt action…”

“first I would like to thank Senate Finance Committee Chairman Baucus and Ranking Member Grassley for their prompt action in developing this economic stimulus package. Last week, the House passed an economic stimulus package. Although it was not perfect, it did provide us with a solid foundation from which to build a comprehensive bill in the Senate. I believe the Finance Committee proposal that is before us today makes a number of crucial improvements to the House version. For that reason, I urge my colleagues to vote to invoke cloture on the Finance Committee economic stimulus package. The Finance Committee package was designed in a bipartisan manner to improve upon the House bill, not to add ``pet projects'' or so-called ``goodies.'' Our goal is not to delay the passage of an economic stimulus bill, but to provide a package that will provide a genuine stimulus that is targeted to Americans who need our help the most. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Senate package would not delay, but accelerate the delivery of a stimulus. The Finance Committee makes improvements in the following areas: structure of the rebate; business tax incentives; housing; unemployment insurance; and funding for LIHEAP. Low-income families should not receive a smaller rebate just because they do not have taxable income.”