Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday defended the Senate’s $85 billion tax cut extension package, saying millions of Americans are still recovering from the 2008 financial crisis.

“It wasn’t all that long ago that the economy was in the throes of the great recession,” the Nevada Democrat said during his opening remarks on the Senate floor. “We will not pull the plug before our nation’s recovery is complete. By passing this tax extenders package, we will build our nation’s economy more quickly.”