Signing of Economic Recovery Bill

Statement by Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League

\”I commend the Congress and President Obama for agreeing on a final Economic Recovery Bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. At a time when 11.6 million people are unemployed, and that number rising everyday, the passage and President Obama\’s signing of this bill today is a big step toward getting people back to work and getting our country back on its feet.

\”In early December 2008, the National Urban League called for an Economic Recovery Plan to create jobs in urban America and provided Congress and then President-Elect Barack Obama with a set of recommendations aimed at job creation to help stabilize the economy.
\”As unemployment continues to rise and steps are made to rebuild our economy, the focus on job creation is imperative to move the country forward.

\”I recommended that an economic recovery bill do at least three things to spur the economy:

1)       focus on IMMEDIATE relief

2)       create jobs that are sustainable, and

3)       train people for industries that are producing jobs

\”Overall, we are pleased with the final outcome of this much needed bill which goes a long way to meet some of our recommendations for addressing the foreclosure crisis, rebuilding our urban infrastructure, and increasing the investment in workforce development programs.   This is an important first step but there is much left to be done.   We encourage the President and Congress to continue working together to turn the economy around and create opportunities for all Americans to thrive.

\”The National Urban League and its 100 affiliates across the country look forward to working with President Obama and his Administration to implement this breakthrough legislation during one of the worst economic crisis in our country\’s history.\”

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