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He's my Congressman in Alabama's 2nd district. Even though he's much, much less liberal than I am, I supported and campaigned for him in Nov because I figured he'd be more helpful to Obama's agenda than his highly conservative, Republican opponent. So I wrote to him expressing my disappointment with his opposition to the stimulus bill and indicating that I hoped he would support the final version of the bill after a version passes in the Senate. Here is his reply. It's disappointing. It's basically Republican talking points.
Dear XXXXXXXX ,
Thank you for contacting me with your views on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act at 2009. I appreciate your comments and I welcome this opportunity to share my thoughts.
Most Americans agree that our nation is facing unprecedented economic challenges. Unemployment is rising at an alarming pace, access to credit has been diminished, and consumer confidence continues to decline. I am very concerned about Alabamians keeping their jobs, paying their home mortgages, receiving loans, and securing their retirement and savings accounts. In order to address this crisis, I feel that Congress should create legislation that is timely, targeted, and temporary in order to address the challenges our country is facing.
As you know, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, H.R. 1, was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman David Obey on January 26, 2009. The introduction of the stimulus package was an important first step in addressing our economic crisis. I applaud the decision to include strong tax relief for both individuals and small businesses. I was especially pleased that the business tax credits I introduced in H.R. 361 were incorporated in the bill, and I supported the decision to include investment in transportation and infrastructure development, education and housing assistance, and alternative energy production. While this legislation has worthy intentions, I had serious concerns it contained too much funding for unnecessary provisions that will have little or no impact on immediate economic growth. For example, funding for pet projects may be well-intentioned but it has no place in legislation that is meant to encourage immediate economic growth. In an effort to make necessary changes, I wrote a letter to the House leadership asking them to consider removing these and other extraneous provisions from the Recovery Act so that Congress could consider them under regular order during the appropriations process. Elimination of those provisions could have created the bipartisan cooperation we need to give the American people confidence that this plan will foster lasting economic recovery.
Unfortunately, the changes my colleagues and I sought were not adopted. While I believe Congress should pass a bill that helps Americans keep their jobs and create new opportunities for work, I decided that this bill was not the way to achieve this very important goal. I believe it is more important to be a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars and ensure that our actions are the right ones. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed the House by a vote of 244-188. Though I did not support the legislation, I am hopeful that Congress will be able to make the necessary changes to produce a bill that helps jump start the economy.
Again, thank you for contacting me. I appreciate your thoughts and value your input. Please do not hesitate to contact me or my office regarding this or any other matter that is important to you. If you would like to learn more about my positions on the issues or receive regular updates on what we are working on in Congress, please visit my website at www.bright.house.gov and sign up for my e-Newsletter.
Sincerely,
Bobby Bright
Member of Congress
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