Donald M. Payne: “Forty-three weeks, Mr. Speaker. For 43 weeks, my Republican colleagues have led the House, and they have failed to pass…”

“Forty-three weeks, Mr. Speaker. For 43 weeks, my Republican colleagues have led the House, and they have failed to pass a single bill to create jobs. Our national unemployment rate has returned to 9.1 percent after declining earlier this year and late last year as a result of the Recovery Act. Yet my colleagues who ran on the platform of upholding a pledge to America to create jobs and strengthen the economy have failed to do so. Instead of delivering on their promise to the 14 million Americans without jobs, the Republican Congress has decided to take off of work for themselves. This Republican-led Congress has only been at work for 111 days, leaving 105 days off for recess. With so many of our constituents out of work, Congress should be at work on their behalf, doing its job and creating jobs for Americans and improving America's economy. That is what my Democratic colleagues and I have tried to do. We have proposed commonsense legislation that would strengthen our economy and create jobs now. And we say that this is what we were sent to Washington to do. We must create jobs now. ____________________”