Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, joined with Speaker Pelosi and her colleagues in House leadership for a roundtable discussion on revitalizing our national economy. Following the meeting she released the following statement:

“My highest priority is bringing jobs to the Western New York. Today I spoke with Speaker Pelosi and my colleagues in House leadership about the need to stimulate our economy not with a focus on Wall Street but with a concern on Main Street and the concerns families express at their kitchen tables each evening. Western New York has a proud history in manufacturing and we must do everything possible to restore that great tradition.

Slaughter was joined by Speaker Pelosi, House Leadership and all Committee chairs along with:

• Alan S. Blinder – Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University and Co-Director of Princeton’s Center for Economic Policy Studies, which he founded in 1990. He is also Vice Chairman of the Promontory Interfinancial Network. Dr. Blinder served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from June 1994 until January 1996. Member of President Clinton's original Council of Economic Advisers from January 1993 until June 1994.
• Heather Boushey – Senior economist at the Center for American Progress. Prior to joining the Center she was a senior economist with the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress. She was formerly a senior economist with the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
• Robert Kuttner – Co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect magazine, as well as a Demos Distinguished Senior Fellow. He was a longtime columnist for BusinessWeek, and continues to write columns in the Boston Globe.
• Mark Zandi – Chief economist and cofounder of Moody's Economy.com, where he directs the company's research and consulting activities. Dr. Zandi was an economic adviser to Senator John McCain's campaign for president, has advised the Obama administration, and testifies regularly before Congress.