Norman D. Dicks: “I think this has been a very spirited debate in the best traditions of the House. I want to point out a few facts to…”

“I think this has been a very spirited debate in the best traditions of the House. I want to point out a few facts to again correct the Record. First of all, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act probably brought down the unemployment rate from 12 or 13 percent to 9.5 percent. We would have a 12.5 percent unemployment rate today if it weren't for the American Recovery Act. The only deficit that has been cut around here was the $41 billion that was done by the Democrats and enacted in December and passed to March 4. Now, again, we did not get our work done. Mr. Rogers and I are going to get the work done. But again, gentlemen and ladies, it's the economy. You've got to put people back to work. And if the net impact of what you do, the cuts you make are to throw people out of work, to cause the economy to stumble and stop the recovery and increase unemployment, then the deficit will go up. The only way you get this better is to drive down unemployment, get people working, get businesses producing, get the revenues coming in. That will do it. But what the best economists in this country say is your medicine is not going to cure the patient. It could well harm the patient and cause things to get worse, not better. So that's why some people believe it's a timing issue. And yet, again, I want you to know, we will work together in these next 2 weeks. We've got to get this thing resolved.”