Political Quotes

“I rise in support of H.R. 5749, Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act. Earlier this month we were met with troubling news about our economy. We learned that the unemployment rate, one of the strongest indicators of our Nation's economic health, experienced the largest one month increase since 1986, from 5 percent to 5.5 percent. In real terms, this jump in the unemployment rate means that between April and May, 49,000 more American workers lost their jobs. In 2008, our economy has lost a total of 324,000 jobs. In my State of California, the unemployment rate is the third highest in the Nation at 6.2 percent. Some areas in California's Central Valley have unemployment rates as high as 10 to 12 percent. Families in these communities are struggling in this economy, and with Governor Schwarzenegger's recently declared a drought emergency in the Central Valley, farmers there tell me that because of the water shortage, fewer acres will be planted this year, which will mean fewer jobs in this area of the State with already skyrocketing unemployment. Yet in this time of economic uncertainty, when so many workers can't make ends meet because they have lost their jobs, Senate Republicans today did as they have done so many times this year on issues important to American families and said 'no' to passing a stand-alone unemployment benefits extension bill.”