Pelosi Remarks Following Roundtable With the Democratic Women's Working Group

WASHINGTON, March 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Speaker Pelosi and
Congresswomen Jan Schakowsky, Rosa DeLauro, and Gwen Moore held a press
stakeout following a Democratic Women's Working Group Roundtable to discuss
the impact on women and children of the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act. Click here for a report on it. Below are the Speaker's opening remarks:

"Good afternoon. We're in the midst of a very productive and energizing
women's roundtable on the economic recovery package. It is exciting to hear
the enthusiasm that is springing from across the country for the initiatives
in here that stimulate the economy, create good-paying jobs, and are good for
women and children.

"It is under the leadership of Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who is the
Democratic Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues. Right now, as
we are out here, the meeting is being presided over by Gwen Moore, who is the
Vice Chair. If you look at our recovery package -- I want you to look at the
report that we put out there, for how the recovery package affects women and
children. There is health, education, economic security through jobs, higher
education for women to be able to get Pell Grants. See this report: 'Investing
in Women and Children: Key Provisions of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act.'

"At the table, we had representatives for women in fields from construction to
academics who teach nursing and who are grateful for what is in the
legislation to promote the education of more nurses in our country. It's about
job training, it's about helping small businesses -- including millions of
women-owned businesses -- it's about unemployment assistance, education,
nutrition assistance and health care.

"A very important architect of this component was the Democratic Congressional
Caucus of Women's Issues, led by Jan Schakowsky and by a Member of our
Democratic Leadership, Rosa DeLauro. Some people have said, 'Well a recovery
package usually looks like infrastructure, food stamps, unemployment insurance
and an element we have discussed lately -- energy.' And that is the proposal
we kept putting forth last year without success. President Bush would just not
sign such a bill. When we had the opportunity to do more, I think that we have
demonstrated very clearly that initiatives for women and children, again as I
said at the start, are job creating, stimulate the economy, and take our
country in a new direction.

"Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro has been a relentless advocate for women and
children and many provisions that she has fought for a long time are contained
in this legislative.

"I am first going to yield to Congresswoman Schakowsky. I want to thank her
for her leadership. It is very exciting -- maybe because I just had another
granddaughter on Sunday night; she's not even two days old -- and she is
already benefiting from the work of these women in that room from the outside
and as well as the leadership of women in the Congress of the United States."

SOURCE Office of the Speaker of the House

Brendan Daly, Nadeam Elshami or Drew Hammill of the Office of the Speaker of
the House, +1-202-226-7616