Steve Driehaus: “I want to thank the gentleman from New York for his leadership on this issue. When we talk about the economy, obviously…”

“I want to thank the gentleman from New York for his leadership on this issue. When we talk about the economy, obviously clean energy is a critical piece of this. Wall Street reform is critical to making sure we don't repeat the mistakes that were made. But oftentimes as I am sitting in that chair and you are sitting in that chair, you hear Republican after Republican after Republican come down to the floor and tell the American people that the sky is falling; that this is the worst economy, and we are still in that recession; that people can't find jobs; that the Recovery Act isn't working. So I thought perhaps I would share with our audience not what you and I think and not what the Republicans have to say when they come down to the floor, but what other people are saying about the economy today, because there has been a lot of dispute as to the impact of the stimulus, of the American Recovery Act, as we passed it, what was it now, just over a year ago. So let me tell you what has happened in that year. Just one year later the numbers speak for themselves. U.S. consumer confidence rose in April, reaching its highest level since September 2008. GDP grew for the third straight quarter, 3.2 percent. Consumer spending is up for the sixth straight month, surpassing pre-recession levels. Manufacturing activity increased for the ninth straight month at the fastest rate in nearly 6 years.”