WASHINGTON D.C. – Last night the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Senate-passed version of the economic stimulus package. This version is slightly different than the House version that was passed last week. The version to be signed today by the President expands to include certain veteran’s disability payments and Social Security benefits and explicitly denies credit to anyone who does not include a valid Social Security number on their tax return. Congressman Mike Conaway (TX-11) made the following statement in regards to the package:
“While the economy in West Texas remains strong and the unemployment rate remains low the economy of the nation as a whole is gradually slowing. To give the economy a temporary boost the President has worked with Congress to construct a more than $150 billion economic stimulus package that will give folks money that is already theirs in the form of tax rebates.
We must act carefully to ensure that we create short-term growth without causing unnecessary long-term damage as a package such as this could be counterproductive if it is not focused in the right areas and isn’t properly timed and temporary.
While I am pleased that my colleagues were able to work with the President in a bipartisan manner to form this plan more than just a tax rebate is expected from the federal government to help boost our economy. We must make the current tax rates permanent and employ other forms of real tax reform and I look forward to working in the budget committee to seriously consider real economic reform for the American people.”
Rep. Conaway is a member of the House Budget Committee.
