Congressman Dreier recently voted to support the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act and said his vote was a reluctant one. “Like millions of Americans, I am furious about the state of our economy and the threat to the economic future of so many families. I hated having to cast the vote in favor of the economic rescue package, but ultimately, it was the right vote to try and stabilize our economy.” Dreier said he was adamantly opposed to the initial plan put forward by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. “I was opposed to the Paulson plan from the get go, but we fought for a lot of changes and significantly improved the bill. Chief among them was real protection for taxpayers, including a guaranteed return on the investment to the treasury. I also fought to make sure golden parachutes were forbidden and bad actors pay a price. I was not going to support a bill without significant oversight and transparency, and by the end of the day, those were included.” Dreier said he hopes the tremendous dive by the stock market after the bill’s failure would bring about a bipartisan effort to pass something and avoid further economic disaster. “We need to come together on this and pass something that helps the American people endure this crisis.”