On the recordMay 31, 2012
Mr. Speaker, in 2009, the Obama administration said unemployment would never reach 8 percent if the stimulus was approved. Three years and $1.2 trillion in spending later, unemployment has remained above 8 percent for 39 consecutive months, the longest span since the Great Depression. Even more alarming is that 8 percent doesn't illustrate how grim the situation really is. More than half a million more Americans are out of work since President Obama took office, and currently the percentage of working Americans is at a 30-year low. Unemployment would be 40 percent higher if more Americans hadn't given up looking for jobs. With these numbers, it is clear that President Obama's policies have failed and are making the economy worse. House Republicans have a plan for America's job creators to help turn this economy around. It's time for the President and Senate Democrats to stop blocking our jobs bill and help us put Americans back to work. ____________________
