On the recordFebruary 4, 2014
Madam Speaker, solving our unemployment crisis is not only about restoring our economy, it is about restoring dignity to tens of millions of Americans. Unemployment means anxiety and insecurity that translates into worse mental and physical health. Unemployment means lower lifelong earnings, not only for workers but also for their children. It means a loss of dignity that is impossible to quantify. Madam Speaker, today with nearly 30 million Americans either unemployed or underemployed, we have a moral obligation to solve the crisis. Unemployment is rampant in both red States and blue States. Creating jobs means creating dignity. We have bipartisan options to build a full-employment society, including proposals to spur public-private investments in infrastructure and close the skills gap, but we must act now. The mantra of this Congress should be, could be, and must be jobs, jobs, jobs. ____________________





