Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this much needed legislation.

The Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act will provide necessary, temporary relief for the States at a time when officials must make tough budget decisions. Governors across the country face declining revenues at the same time the economic downturn has left more of their citizens looking for help. My colleagues across the aisle will use their best political spin to characterize this legislation as fiscally unsound. They have stated that this is just another bailout for special interest groups. My friends, this couldn't be further from the truth. I don't know when our school children became a special interest group. The reality is many Republicans would rather avoid making tough decisions, cross their fingers and hope just saying ``no'' helps their election prospects in November.

I am proud that my colleagues and I prefer to provide real leadership and make the tough, necessary choices to put this country back on a sound fiscal track and address the pressing needs of our people. So, while my Republican colleagues spin, let me state the facts. This bill will:

Help to save or create 319,000 jobs, of which 161,000 are teacher jobs and 158,000 are for police officers and firefighters as a result of the Medicaid fund increase;

Provide an estimated $600 million to my home state of Michigan, saving the jobs of 4,700 teachers in Michigan, and 242 teachers in the 15th District;

Provide $16 billion for State Medicaid programs. This means an estimated $380 million in additional Medicaid funding to Michigan to avert drastic cuts in their Medicaid program; and

Further protect jobs here at home, by closing tax loopholes that encourage corporations to ship jobs overseas.

The bill before us is fiscally sound; it is totally paid for and decreases the deficit by $1.4 billion over 10 years. These facts cannot be disputed.

The threat of teacher and public service layoffs, and medical benefit cuts are not partisan issues. Our dire economic situation facing the States and our people affect both Democrats and Republicans alike.

Again Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues, including my Republican colleagues--many of whom have decided to gamble with the lives of our children and paychecks of public servants by playing politics with this bill--to support this common sense legislation.

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