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Pelosi Statement on the Fifth Anniversary of the Recovery Act

February 17, 2014

Contact: Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today to mark the fifth anniversary of the signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:

"At the start of 2009, as Americans faced the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the Democratic Congress took swift and bold action to bring our economy back from the brink, spur growth, create jobs, and strengthen the middle class. When President Obama signed the Recovery Act into law five years ago today, our nation made the investments necessary to ignite energy innovation and rebuild our infrastructure; to deliver tax relief to working families and fiscal relief to state governments; to put people to work and create a broadly-shared prosperity for all Americans.

"Our legislation helped get our economy back on-track; now, our businesses have created nearly 8.5 million jobs over the past 47 months. Yet, as we knew then and still recognize today, the Recovery Act was only one step on the road to recovery. Too many Americans remain out-of-work and too many families still struggle to make ends meet. More must be done to restore economic security to the American people.

"Congress can continue the work advanced by the Recovery Act with a renewed focus on the progress of workers and the middle class – with an increase in the minimum wage, with extended unemployment insurance, with bills to create jobs. Congress can move our economy forward by rejecting more Republican-manufactured crises and adopting Democrats' agenda for women and families – 'When Women Succeed, America Succeeds' – to ensure fair pay, paid family and medical leave, and affordable child care for all. Congress can, and must, work to close the opportunity gap and build an economy that works for everyone."

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