I shared with these men and women our plan in Congress to jumpstart the national economy that in turn will benefit businesses here at home.  Specifically, this plan will provide for immediate relief for persons in South Jersey who have lost their jobs by extending unemployment benefits by 26 weeks.  During this period, all Social Security benefits to all recipients will continue uninterrupted.  It will provide consumer tax cuts, such as an eight-week break in Social Security tax collections to put more money in the pockets of consumers to bolster holiday shopping and consumer spending generally.  The federal government will invest in construction of schools and transportation to help construction firms and workers pump more money into the economy.  The plan will change the tax code to permit technology firms that have suffered losses to carry these losses forward to apply against gains in more profitable times to come.  And finally, this plan will pay particular attention to the needs of the travel and tourism industry, which was most severely hit by the aftermath of September 11. 

I thank these men and women for taking the time to meet with me to provide a sounding board for how these proposals will impact their individual businesses and our economy in general.  I look forward to hearing more of your views and would invite you to email me at Rob.Andrews@mail.house.gov.