On the recordMarch 3, 2011
I rise today to join my colleagues and speak out about the failure that is taking place on the other side of Capitol Hill right now in the Republican-controlled House. The election last November was not a mandate for any one political party or extreme ideology. It was a mandate for action--for solutions that will create jobs and get our economy moving again. But rather than focusing on jobs and responsible budgeting, House Republicans have engaged in an all-out assault on the health and well-being of women, children, and families in America. The American people voted overwhelmingly for debate on economic solutions that will create jobs. That is what many of my colleagues and I have been trying to focus on during this Congress. But what are the House Republicans focused on? Not creating jobs, not creating ideas for how we are going to create economic growth, but undermining the health care rights of millions of American women and families. We have an undeniable job crisis on our hands and they are ignoring it. Unemployment is still far too high. Having a national rate of close to 10 percent means real unemployment is closer to 15 or 20 percent when we look at all of those who are underemployed, working less hours, or who are no longer looking for work. Twenty-two percent of our youngest veterans coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan are unemployed. That is more than one in five.
