Maria Cantwell: “the point is, this administration and the other side of the aisle need to look at economic history when we have faced…”

“the point is, this administration and the other side of the aisle need to look at economic history when we have faced similar downturns and discuss what is the best way to alleviate this pain as we see our economy barely start to chug along. We have heard a lot about outsourcing in the last week or two. I am sure we have not heard the last of it. There are a lot of people who are concerned that we may never see that job growth that was even initially predicted in the President's economic report of which it has now backed off. So America has a very uncertain time ahead, but Americans know they have a program at the Federal level to which they are being denied access. What are the consequences? My colleagues need to read their e-mails. They need to read letters from their constituents. I read mine. When you know that money is there to help and assist them, when you know an economic plan and responsibility for our fiscal policy is something we should be concerned with every day, it just breaks your heart to understand the plight some of these people are going through. One laid-off worker from Camano Island said he cashed out every dime of his 401(k) savings plan with significant penalty. He doesn't know how he is going to make the mortgage payments, he is at such a desperate point. He is trying to figure out any way he can just to keep the lights on and keep food on the table.”