[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 50]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             BRINGING ECONOMIC SECURITY TO WORKING FAMILIES

  (Ms. SOLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. SOLIS. Madam Speaker, today, I rise to express my strong concern 
about the fiscal crisis that we are facing here in our country.
  The subprime mortgage crisis has directly impacted millions of 
American homeowners, particularly in my own district in the San Gabriel 
Valley. As the chart shows, nearly 650 families in my district 
somewhere lost their homes to foreclosure. In Los Angeles alone, a 
family loses their home every hour.
  Nationally, unemployment rates have risen above 5 percent. Half of my 
district has a rate above 5 percent. In East Los Angeles, it is upwards 
of 7.2 percent. Other economic indicators are showing signs of an 
economic slowdown, including a sharp decline in consumer spending and 
the largest annual increase in wholesale prices in 26 years.
  While I am proud that this House has passed billions to provide 
relief for middle-income Americans and small businesses and increased 
the minimum wage, we still have to do more. I look forward to working 
with my colleagues across the aisle to bring economic security back to 
the working families, not only in my district, but across this country.

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