Political Quotes

On the recordJuly 22, 2010
Let me thank the gentleman for yielding and for his steady and undying support for people who really have had a very tough time and who have not had any opportunities for many years now. Thank you, Mr. McDermott, for your leadership. Mr. Speaker, I've been listening to the debate here about jobs. We, too, are asking, Where are the jobs? From what I remember, there were very few Republican votes for the many job creation bills which Democrats have passed. So, if you are not going to support a real jobs initiative, I can't understand, for the life of me, why in the world you won't support just the basics for people, just a bit of help for those who have no jobs and for those who you won't help get jobs. Support for unemployment compensation speaks, really, to who we are as a country. This is a moral and an ethical issue of which those who really care about the least of these should support. People have lost their jobs for a variety of reasons--primarily, yes, due to the economic policies of the previous administration. We know many people who have lost their jobs due to their not being able to find work in this new economy. People have lost their jobs because their communities have been shut down as a result of the foreclosure crisis. They have lost their homes. They have lost their jobs. They have no health care. What in the world is going on in our country?
Said by
Barbara Lee
Democratic · California

Editor's note · Context

The speaker addresses job loss and the need for unemployment compensation during a debate on job creation.

Share

More from Barbara Lee

Dec 17, 2024

First of all, let me just say that I associate myself with the remarks that have been made tonight about my friend, the Honorable Dr. Michael Burgess. A couple of things that I thought, since I am retiring also and we are here on the floor…

govinfo.gov
Nov 14, 2025

Coach Beam spent four decades lifting up Oakland and mentoring our young people. Now we must honor his memory by continuing the hard work of ridding our community of gun violence. We owe it to every family shattered by this gun violence…

theguardian.com
Dec 3, 2024

I just wanted to add another dimension to this discussion regarding Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. Her parents were from the Caribbean. Her father was from Guyana and her mother was from Barbados. Congresswoman Chisholm grew up in…

govinfo.gov
Dec 17, 2024

Thank you so much, Paul, for those words and for your friendship and for your leadership and for being someone who I can talk to confidentially. You mentioned my mother. Actually, when she was giving birth, she needed a C-section. They…

govinfo.gov

Other voices in this conversation