Patty Murray: “next week, we will inaugurate a new Commander in Chief. It is a time of hope and opportunity for people across this…”

“next week, we will inaugurate a new Commander in Chief. It is a time of hope and opportunity for people across this country. While many Americans are hopeful today, too many of them are hurting, and they cannot wait another day for the change they have been promised. People in my home State of Washington are feeling the pain. When I held an economic roundtable in Everett, WA, earlier in December, the room was filled to overflowing with people who came out in the middle of the day to express their concerns and to listen to business owners and families and community members talk about the struggles they are facing. Unemployment in my State, like States across the country, is at record highs. Businesses, big and small, are struggling to meet their payroll. And too many families are still wondering how they are going to stay in their homes or get a loan to pay for school for their kids. We stood here on this floor almost 3 months ago debating whether to approve the President's request for economic rescue funds. At that time, communities across my State were hurting. Families were struggling to pay for their groceries, to afford health care, and wondering how they were going to pay for college. My constituents were angry they were being asked to fork over their tax dollars to cover the consequences of years of reckless abandon on Wall Street and the failure of this administration to regulate or rein in their folly.”