WASHINGTON - It's a long way from November to Jan. 20,
say Long Island's representatives who agree with President-elect Barack Obama that Congress shouldn't wait until Inauguration Day to pass a second economic stimulus package.
At his first postelection news conference, Obama urged Congress Friday to come back to Washington for a lame-duck session this month and push through a package targeting infrastructure spending, job creation, added unemployment benefits and state aid.
Those are all priorities Long Island lawmakers said were critical to helping those struggling get back on their feet. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Roslyn Heights) said waiting until early 2009 would let "precious weeks" slip by.
"It all depends on how long people can hold their breath underwater. If this is to be part of a cure, when do you take your medicine?" Ackerman said.
Democrats in Congress started pushing earlier this year for a plan that is now projected to cost about $100 billion. President George W. Bush and other Republicans have been cool to the idea.
Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) said he supports a package that would help middle-income families and he hopes fellow Republicans will put partisan politics aside to focus on helping the economy. "Republicans should not be lashing back," King said. "We should not have a knee-jerk reaction."
Rep. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) said Bush should get on board: "It would be nice after eight years of a president who ignored Congress and the middle class to actually cooperate as one of his final acts."
Among their top priorities, LI's representatives called for temporarily increasing federal funds for New York's Medicaid program. The extra Medicaid funding would help New York - which faces a record budget deficit - stave off cuts, or potential tax increases while freeing up money for other programs, they said.
New York Gov. David A. Paterson was on Capitol Hill last week asking Congress for similar state aid.
Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) said along with the stimulus, he was glad that Obama will closely monitor the $700-billion Wall Street bailout.
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) also weighed in on Obama's call for speedy relief, saying Democrats were already on board. "We hope that our Republican colleagues and President Bush will join us in passing a stimulus that primes the pump and creates jobs," he said.
Craig Gordon contributed to this story.