On the recordNovember 12, 2014
Mr. President, I was on the floor earlier today. I have been on the floor since we convened back into session--our first session since the election--and I am very heartened by what I have heard from colleagues such as the Senator from Hawaii, who just spoke, our colleague from Montana, who just spoke, our colleague from Tennessee, who spoke; as well as the leadership particularly, including Leader Reid, majority leader-to-be Mitch McConnell, and the Senator from Texas, Mr. Cornyn, all of whom came to the floor and said they heard the message of the American people. The message is that now is the time to stop the bickering, stop the fighting, stop the gridlock, and take action on issues the American people know are the right answers for our country, focusing on building jobs and economic hope for the middle class, in large measure because of this extraordinary opportunity for an energy renaissance that is underway as we speak-- energy jobs, petrochemical jobs, manufacturing jobs. Our unemployment rate in south Louisiana is 3.5 percent. Our general unemployment rate is much lower than the national average and has been for many years. But even in my State, with these very positive numbers, middle-class families are seeing their incomes stagnate, their way of life not progressing, and their economic progress not moving forward as it should.…





