American Recovery and Reinvestment Act––1 Year Later

CHICAGO --  U. S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush released the following statement, today, in recognition of the one-year anniversary of the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).  The landmark legislation that Rush supported is widely recognized by economists and nonpartisan budget monitors for staving off the advent of a second great depression.  Over the course of its one-year implementation, ARRA created more than two million jobs in what continues to be a tough economic climate.
"Where I come from, there's an adage that says ‘when the going get tough, the tough get going.'  I am proud to say that when a tough vote was needed—a vote that strengthened our nation's banking structure despite the reckless behavior Wall Street financiers engaged in that put our nation's economy on the edge of collapse—my colleagues and I in the U. S. House and Senate did what we had to do to pull our national economy back from the brink.  And we did it without one, single vote from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle.

"Today, I'm proud to acknowledge the tremendous work by President Obama and Vice President Biden who have effectively implemented the distribution of ARRA funds in a manner that is without equal in its accountability and transparency.  That transparency allows me to point to the fact that of the $7 billion that was awarded to the State of Illinois, more than $253 million has already been allocated in the 1st Congressional district.  That's real money, going to hard working men and women, in this community, for whom these dollars mean that their lives will remain as secure as possible given the difficult economy we continue to face.

"While I am proud of the progress that we can point to today, for me, it's never enough when I consider the fact that in the African American community our unemployment numbers are upwards of 17 percent.  That's unacceptable to me and, I believe, to our leadership in the White House.

 "As co-chair of the 131-member, bipartisan Jobs NOW! Congressional Caucus, I want my constituents to know that I will remain vigilant and relentless in my pursuit of every viable means to ensure that those who want to work can do so and that our precious, federal resources continue to be used wisely, and fairly, to help every man, woman and young adult to be able to take care of themselves and their families."

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NOTE:  For more information on ARRA's impact in Illinois and in the 1st Congressional District, please click on this link to the Recovery.gov website:

http://www.recovery.gov/Transparency/RecipientReportedData/Pages/statesummary.aspx?StateCode=IL