Congressman Henry Cuellar today voted in support of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which will put 269,000 Texans to work and deliver tens of billions of dollars in tax cuts and infrastructure investments to jumpstart the Texas economy.

The legislation has been endorsed as a critical recovery measure by interest groups from across the political spectrum, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the AARP, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Information Technology Industry Council.

Full details of the legislation, including its infrastructure investments and its unprecedented transparency and accountability measures, are in the attached document.

Congressman Cuellar released the following statement on the vote:

“It took a long time for America’s economy to get into this fix, and we won’t get out of it overnight.  This jobs bill isn’t a silver bullet, but it is a bold and decisive step in the right direction.  Its impact on Texas families is impossible to overstate and should not be overlooked.

“It will put 269,000 Texans to work.  It delivers tax relief to 95% of working Texans.  And it invests tens of billions of dollars in Texas infrastructure, education, health care, alternative energy, and jobs.

“Not only is this bill an historic investment in Texas; it’s also smart economic policy.  These funds will create jobs right away, and the infrastructure they build will strengthen our economy for years to come.”

“With 20,000 Americans losing their jobs each day – and with Texans losing their homes, their health care, and their savings – sitting idly by was not an option.  We needed to move forward urgently with a bill that will create jobs and help turn this economy around.

“As we do what must be done in the short term to deal with the economic emergency, we must not lose sight of the future.  America’s budget deficits are crippling our economy and undermining our national security.  We cannot afford for any of today’s spending to disappear into projects that don’t serve our long-term needs.

“In the urgent drive to fix the American economy, haste must not make waste.  Once this bill is signed into law, the next step will be aggressive, unprecedented oversight to make sure that every penny is accounted for and spent wisely.”

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill later today.

###