House Majority Leader Open To Another Stimulus Bill

Despite the 9.5% unemployment rate announced by the Labor Department last week, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) is not disillusioned with the stimulus plan. In fact, he may even support a second one.

“We need to be open to whether we need additional action,” said Hoyer during a pen-and-pad session with reporters Tuesday. Hoyer went on to say however, that it is still too soon to pursue a new plan, especially since the current stimulus plan has only been in place for 150 days.

While the Majority Leader conceded that more certainly needs to be done to reduce unemployment, the statistics are not particularly menacing when compared to the amount of jobs lost during the previous administration. Under the GOP’s economic stewardship, Hoyer explained, the amount of jobs lost was much more striking, especially during the closing days of the Bush administration.