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"Democrats welcome President Bush's willingness to work together with Congress to provide urgent relief to the millions of Americans facing economic hardships.

"We have agreed on the need to provide assistance immediately, and Congress will continue to work with the Administration to stimulate the economy in a way that is timely, targeted, and temporary. We must invest our resources in such a way that injects confidence and consumer demand, promotes economic growth, and creates jobs.

"The President has outlined his principles, as have Democrats and Republicans in Congress. Now we will work together on the details of a stimulus package."

"The acknowledgement by the President today of the immediate need for a stimulus package is significant progress. In the next few days, through ongoing bipartisan negotiations, we are hopeful that we will agree on legislation that provides timely, targeted, and temporary assistance to America's middle class.

"Unemployment, energy costs and grocery prices are up, housing starts and consumer spending are down. Economists agree that it is urgent for the Congress and the President to act now to address the pressing needs of millions of Americans hurt by the economic slowdown."

CHAIRMAN WAXMAN SCHEDULES HEARING TO EXAMINE PRESERVATION OF WHITE HOUSE E-MAILS

WASHINGTON, DC -- On February 15, the Committee will hold a hearing to investigate White House compliance with the Presidential Records Act. Statements made at today's White House press briefing contradict information provided to the Committee, which revealed that a 2005 White House analysis found no archived mail for hundreds of days between 2003 and 2005.

The following officials have been invited to testify:

· Fred Fielding, Counsel to the President

· Alan Swendiman, Director, Office of Administration

· Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States

Improvements in this reauthorization include a requirement that all public housing units proposed for demolition be replaced on a one-for-one basis.

Conyers Introduces Bill to Fight Voter Caging

(Washington, DC)- Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) introduced the Caging Prohibition Act of 2008. Voter caging is a practice by which mail is sent to a registered voter's address and, if the mail is returned as "undeliverable" or if it is delivered and the voter does not respond, his or her registration is challenged in order to suppress voter turnout. This may occur even if the voter has simply moved across a college campus or to another location on a miltary base, or simply does not respond to what one might assume is junk mail. It is estimated that the practice has resulted in tens of thousands of voters - often soldiers, college students and low-income families - being purged from the rolls.