Political Quotes

“Today the Congressional Black Caucus, which I chair, the Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Progressive Caucus, along with the Jobs Task Force conducted a forum with the Campaign for Community Change and the Lawyers Committee on Civil and Human Rights. We had a forum to discuss a comprehensive legislative strategy to create jobs, especially for the chronically unemployed. For example, the national unemployment rate is still way too high, over 9 percent. Yet, in the African American community it is over 16 percent. African American and Latino teens are unemployed at nearly 40 percent. It is critical that we pass H.R. 4213, the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act. This bill includes a summer youth jobs provision, which will put over 350,000 young people to work this summer. Our young people now are helping their families pay the rent and put food on the table. Also, summer youth jobs programs give them the essential jobs and life skills to be productive workers and employees. Under the Obama administration, we are beginning to see signs of hope in the economy, but we must do our part and invest in putting people back to work and pass H.R. 4213. This puts us on the right track.”