Barack Obama

“ Next week, Congress will meet to address the spreading impact of the economic crisis. I urge them to pass, at least, a down-payment on a rescue plan that will create new jobs, relieve the squeeze on families, and help get the economy growing again. In particular, we cannot afford to delay providing help for the more than one million Americans who will have exhausted their unemployment insurance by the end of this year. ”

“ By getting our fiscal house in order, Congress will be in a stronger position to focus on some of the job-creating measures I’ve already proposed – like putting people to work rebuilding America’s infrastructure, or reforming our patent system so that our innovators and entrepreneurs have a greater incentive to generate new products, or making college more affordable for families. And businesses that may be holding back because of the uncertainty surrounding the possibility of a default by the U.S. government will have greater confidence to invest and create jobs. ”

“ And while the road ahead will be long, and the work will be hard, I know that we can steer ourselves out of this crisis. Because here in America, we always rise to the moment, no matter how hard, and I am more hopeful than ever that America will rise once again. ”

“ It means investing $150-billion to build an American Green Energy economy that will create five-million new jobs, while freeing our nation from the tyranny of foreign oil and saving our planet for our children. ”

“ And yet, as we act in concert with other nations, we must also act immediately here at home to address America’s own economic crisis. This week, amid continued volatility in our markets, we learned that unemployment insurance claims rose to their highest levels since September 11th, 2001. ”

“ And millions of our fellow citizens lie awake each night, wondering how they’re going to pay their bills, stay in their homes, and save for retirement. Make no mistake: this is the greatest economic challenge of our times. ”

“ I believe we need a balanced approach. That means taking on spending in our domestic programs and our defense programs. It means addressing the challenges in programs like Medicare so we can strengthen those programs and protect them for future generations. And it means taking on spending in the tax code – spending on tax breaks and deductions for the wealthiest Americans. ”

“ It means making health care affordable for anyone who has it, accessible for anyone who wants it, and reducing costs for small businesses. And it also means giving every children the world-class education they need to compete with any worker in anywhere in the world. ”