Andy Harris: “I am amazed by the revisionist history that continues to accompany these arguments against the jobs and growth package.…”

“I am amazed by the revisionist history that continues to accompany these arguments against the jobs and growth package. We continue to hear the accusations that the President's 2001 economic plan has not worked. Against what benchmark are we evaluating the success of this policy? President Bush inherited a speculative bubble that had burst into the Clinton-Gore recession when this body first passed that plan. September 11, of course, worsened our economic outlook even more dramatically. What was the result, then, of the President's 2001 economic plan? A potential depression became one of the shortest recessions on record. Now the economy is growing again, but the American people continue to fear for their own economic security and for the dreams they nurture for their children and their grandchildren. The recovery remains sluggish because the temporary nature of the 2001 tax cuts has restrained businesses from fully returning to an investment and growth mode. An unpredictable and ever-changing Federal tax policy is inimical to the long-term, predictable model that businesses require. Thus, this year's jobs and growth package finishes the job that President Bush and Congress started in 2001. Mr. Speaker, President Bush's plan to revitalize our economy is rooted in values instead of expediency. It reflects the belief and the genius of the American people instead of the power of government.”