Political Quotes

“Let me just point out that we are not throwing away our chance to work with Republicans. We would love to have a bipartisan bill, but if it's not possible, we have to have this reconciliation process in place because it takes weeks to unfold. Mr. Speaker, we are in a deep hole. To build back better, we have to crush the virus, as Speaker Pelosi so beautifully captured. But make no mistake, the COVID-19 pandemic has plunged us into a very, very big hole. Last week, we got the advance--or first--report on 2020 GDP, and it was ugly. The economy shrank by 3.5 percent last year, the worst economic performance since 1946. Very few of us were even born the last time our economy declined by this much. Let me say it again, the U.S. economy is the weakest it has been since the end of World War II. It could have been worse. It could have been much worse but for the actions we took in a bipartisan way in this Congress. We passed the CARES Act in May, and instead of the 5.6 percent decline the CBO had forecast, we only got 3\1/2\ percent. Just imagine if the Senate had taken up the Heroes Act that we passed. Unemployment insurance alone, which was strengthened with the $600 supplemental payment and the creation of pandemic unemployment assistance, accounted for more than $550 billion in personal income in 2020. These payments were a lifeline to individuals, and they bolstered the economy.…”