Washington, DC -- After meeting with a group of U.S. Senators, the nation's mayors today endorsed the leading Senate proposal to stimulate the struggling American economy.

"The nation's mayors strongly support the Senate's smart, balanced package to stimulate the economy," said New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. "The Senate plan provides just what our economy and our cities need: assistance to unemployed workers, tax relief for families, and strategic investments in infrastructure and security."

The Senate plan includes -

• Sen. Baucus' $70 billion proposal to temporarily extend and expand unemployment benefits, provide assistance for health coverage, and fund checks for taxpayers who did not benefit fully from rebate checks mailed earlier this year; and

• A $20 billion proposal by Sen. Byrd and Sen. Reid to fund anti-terrorism, infrastructure, and economic investments across the country, including assistance for local police, firefighters, public health workers, and emergency response personnel on the frontlines of homeland security.

Last month, mayors endorsed Senator Reid's plan for a multi-billion dollar commitment to stimulate the economy through smart investments in critical transportation sectors, from transit and rail improvements to bridge and highway projects as part of a proposed stimulus package. The current Senate proposal includes many of these strategic investments.

In light of figures released Friday showing that the nation's unemployment rate hitting 5.4 percent in October with the largest monthly job loss in two decades, mayors today urged quick passage of the Senate plan.

The meeting today included Mayor Morial, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, Gary (Ind.) Mayor Scott King, Sen. Harry Reid (NV), Sen. John Kerry (MA), Sen. Hillary Clinton (NY), Sen. Max Baucus (MT), Sen. Mary Landrieu (LA), Sen. Bob Graham (FL), Sen. Joe Biden (DE), Sen. Byron Dorgan (ND), Sen. Chris Dodd (CT), Sen. Paul Sarbanes (MD), and Sen. Joe Lieberman (CT).

Additional mayors joining the meeting via conference call included Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill, Fort Worth Mayor Kenneth Barr, Tulsa Mayor Susan Savage, Reno Mayor Jeff Griffin, North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Henry Hays, and Lynn (Mass.) Mayor Patrick McManus.

Mayors also reiterated their strong support for the Senate's plan, passed by a 100-0 vote, to strengthen airline security by federalizing airport security screening personnel.

Contact:
Andy Solomon (202) 861-6766
Lina Garcia (202) 861-6719

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