mr. tonko and mr. ryan, are from communities that your constituents, the people who sent you here to represent them, they are used to rolling up their sleeves, doing a hard tai's work for a hard day's pay and making stuff. we want to make sure that we can get america back to work making things again. that's why we have our making it in america agenda we'll be talking about in the next few weeks as we enter the august recess period and we're pleased to be joined by our good friend, mr. tonko a new mobe who has been doing a terrific job. mr. tonko: thank you, ms. wasserman schultz. it's a pleasure to join you and mr. ryan here on the floor. you talk about our districts being about making things. i thought i would share some numbers that personal ites this to new york. let's look at some numbers. beech nut, which produces baby foods a tremendously powerful economic engine in the mohawk valley, their jobs are 156, 52 in management and 54 in new factly positions. these are workers that will be produ

mr. paul tonko. mr. tonko: thank you, representative wasserman schultz. thank you for britain bringing us together to discuss an important aspect -- for bringing us together to discuss the important aspect. creating the dignity of work for individuals and families across the country. it's great to join you, i know we're going to be hearing from representative murphy, but to be with everyone here and put our thoughts into a context that allows people to understand where we're headed with this recovery program, and i think this chart expresses it in a very straight forward, simplistic way, a simple straight forward decline for many months, where we lost $17.5 trillion of household income, where 8.2 million jobs were lost. we were headed for a deep, deep depression. then a sharp, straight line upward which expresses a recovery. i should point out that many of us believe, all of us here on the floor tonight, believe we're not only recovering the economy but we're restructuring the economy. that's an important aspect of the work we're doing. to create those jo

mr. tonko: thank you, representative. it's so encouraging to have people see the difference in how we approach reform here in washington. there are those who will suggest that the 8.2 million jobs lost during the bush recession were a tremendous blow to this nation's economy, to working families, to households across this country. there are those who would suggest that the $17.5 trillion worth of household wealth lost in the last 18 months of president bush's final stage of his presidency, some of that's been recaptured, recovered, some $6 trillion. but that painful outcome is sometimes lost, people forget that there were these there wills of dollars lost to house -- that there were these trillions of dollars lost to household incomes. why would people want to go back to those failed policies? and today we just do a test based on other dynamics. medicare. the republicans suggest we should voucher the system. a -- allow people to go in and invest in a private insurance plan. there are those in the republican ranks, the lea

mr. tonko of new york. and you have talked to me about the manufacturing that occurs in your area. could you share with us your experiences and how all of this comes together in the great state of new york. mr. tonko: it's great to join with our democratic colleagues here on the floor to share our thoughts on how we build this nation's economy and it's absolutely the truth what was inherited here was a huge loss in jobs, 8.2 million jobs lost in the bush recession and $18 trillion lost in american house holds. there was a huge comeback required. here is an opportunity to express the strength of this nation. the strength of our nation is the intellect, the intellectual capacity of this nation when embraced can inspire a wonderful era of innovation and we have seen it throughout our history when we profess we are going to land a person on the moon and enter the global race in space under the leadership of president kennedy. we made it happen because people saw the goal and they believed we were t

mr. tonko, such time as he may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. . mr. tonko: i acknowledge the great work done in bringing into focus the importance of saratoga, its race course and season to the local economy. i commend my colleague, scott murphy, the representative in the neighboring district. while he hosts the track in his district, i know the value to the entire region, to my district economically and certainly to his with this season. it's an important economic engine, for the tourism economy and strengthens our economy and economic recovery is important in whatever measure we can ascertain. today, i want to join my colleagues in celebration of saratoga race course season. it is the oldest organized sporting venue in the country. since 1863, saratoga race course has been a summer destination enjoyed by many families, racing thuists and individuals from across this nation and indeed around the world. the history in saratoga springs provides visit

mr. tonko: thank you, mr. speaker. i think the president was right yesterday when he called our friends on the other side of the aisle out of touch. in my hometown of amsterdam, new york, there are neighbors who are hurting. in some instances this recession has eliminated nearly half of their retirement savings. others have lost their homes. despite this downturn and wall street's recklessness, republicans still want to privatize social security. they want to create a a keeno economy and play russian roulette with our hard-earned retirement savings. most of the seniors in amsterdam have worked hard and have played by the rules their entire lives. social security which they had paid into their entire working life is their crucial safety net and financial security. let's not gamble it away to appease republicans. wall street and big banks. just a few days ago the leader of the other side suggested slashing social security benefits and using those funds as savings to pay for the war in iraq and the war in afghanistan. eno

mr. tonko: the government programs upon which they most depend, medicare and social security are being threatened by congressional republicans. recently, those on the other side of the aisle have been championing drastic changes to both programs. they want to cut social security benefits, raise the retirement age to 70 and turn social security benefits over to the stock market. they want to convert medicare to a voucher program so that seniors will get a coupon to go out of their own way to buy a regular individual insurance policy. and what do congressional republicans propose to do with these savings? certainly they want to pay for the war. i will not stand for stripping senior benefits down. i will not stand for balancing the budget on the back of hardworking retirees. social security and medicare benefits belong to our nation's seniors and congressional democrats will not stand for windling them down or stealing them away. social security represents the promise and that is if you work hard

mr. tonko: thank you, madam speaker. i rise today just a few weeks in advance of the 75th anniversary of social security. this bedrock promised earned with a lifetime of hard work should be available for our nation's seniors and future generations. however, my friends on the other side of the aisle are once again trying to privatize social security. returning to previously rejected ideas, republicans want to create a casino economy and play russian roulette with your hard-earned benefits. if they would have succeed md 2005 seniors would have lost trillions more in the stock market meltdown of the bush recession. instead, nobody lost a penny of social security. in the area that i represent many people are hurting, families and seniors are facing unsrnt and anxiety -- uncertainty and anxiety ranging from their mortgage payments, credit card bills and more. let us not return to the failed ideas of the past. we must keep america moving forward. there is a very clear choice here. we can hand the social security system over to

mr. kevin and others on how to clean this up. additionally, i'm proud to have authored an amendment, along with paul tonko, that would allow us to prestage both technologies for cleanup and research studies so that should there be an event we can make use of that event to fwear more knowledge on what we can reduce oil in the water and to mitigate the environmental impact. the other thing people are asking is what do we need to do to make sure we clean this up better? the areas we visited in the gulf, there are areas that are doing remarkable work to prevent oil from coming onshore. and trying to clean up the beaches when they've been contaminated. but one thing we know, this is going to be a long-standing impact and we need to not only research what's happening today, we need to continue to research what's going on in the future. and this will be a long-term research project. this legislation recognizes and supports that. and finally, i should say that this is an international issue and this legislation provides for major collaboration with national entities. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. baird -- mr