Statement on meeting to discuss the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan (Douglas)

Well, Mr. President, thank you for your time today. Thank you for your leadership on matters of great importance to the American people. You were gracious in reaching out to the governors of our country in December before you took office. We had an opportunity at that time to discuss the economic crisis, the fiscal crisis that's confronting most of our states. And we indicated that we needed some assistance from the federal government to stimulate the economy, to create jobs, to help us balance our budgets and preserve essential programs for the American people and avoid the need to raise taxes at the state level.

The House of Representatives has passed a bill, and we look forward to working with your administration, with the senators and members of the House to fashion a piece of legislation that fulfills the goals that we have articulated.

I know there are some differences of opinion on some of the elements. And if I were writing it, it might be a little different. If you were writing it, it might be a little different. But the essence of a recovery package is essential to get our nation's economy moving.

And it's not just a matter of the bigger picture or numbers, it's really quite personal, in many cases. On my floor alone in the office building where I work, four relatives of employees have lost their jobs over the last couple of weeks. So this is a serious matter. It's the kind of recession that is deep, that appears to be long, and the only way we're going to get the country moving again is a partnership between the states and the federal government.

So we appreciate your hard work and look forward to coming to some conclusion in the very near future so we can get America moving again.