Louise Slaughter: “Mr. Speaker, our workforce is what made the United States the great Nation it is, but here we are debating yet another…”

“Mr. Speaker, our workforce is what made the United States the great Nation it is, but here we are debating yet another bill that erodes protections for our workers. Here we go again sending another message to our workforce that we just do not care that short-term gain for a few is more important to us than the economic well-being of the Nation. Life for the American worker continues to be arduous and uncertain, Mr. Speaker. Unemployment has risen 6 percent. In my home State of New York, the unemployment rate is even higher at 6.3. Unemployment insurance benefits expire at the end of this month even though almost 9 million Americans are without work. Nothing on the legislative horizon confronts the needs of the millions of the jobless. Mr. Speaker, this body and this administration have failed the American worker and continue to do so with this bill. Recently, this esteemed body had several opportunities to tackle the plight of the laidoff factory workers, the unemployed bookkeepers, and this Chamber squandered those chances. Today, the House has another opportunity to assist American workers by continuing the necessary reforms so painfully highlighted by the collapse of major corporations like Enron, WorldCom, Global Crossing. The employees of WorldCom lost $25 million. Enron employees lost $800 million. And the American workforce nervously looks to us to protect their pensions and their life savings.”