Dan Coats: “all 100 of us, Republicans and Democrats, are concerned about our fellow citizens who are unemployed, struggling to pay…”

“all 100 of us, Republicans and Democrats, are concerned about our fellow citizens who are unemployed, struggling to pay their bills, and desperate to find meaningful work. We are concerned about the lack of opportunities in many of America's communities and the urgent need for more good-paying jobs across the United States. There are Hoosiers and citizens across this country hurting in this economy, and it seems as though a new negative economic headline comes out every day. Consider some of the recent discouraging reports we have heard. According to a new USA Today/Pew research poll, Americans by a 2-to-1 margin rate the Nation's economic conditions as poor, and just 27 percent say there are enough jobs available where they live. A few days ago, the Commerce Department estimated that between January and March of this year, the U.S. economy grew a shocking 0.1 percent. That is .1 percent from no growth whatsoever and just .2 percent from racking up a first quarter of recession. It takes two quarters back to back to qualify for recession, but we are in the recovery period from one of the deepest recessions since World War II. Now we are into the fifth year, close to the sixth year, of a stagnant economy growing at half the rate it normally does after a recession, and Americans are still out of work. In addition, the U.S. labor force participation rate is at its lowest point in 36 years.…”