Yvette Clarke: “The American people made it abundantly clear what they expected from the 112th Congress. They expect us to stop fighting…”

“The American people made it abundantly clear what they expected from the 112th Congress. They expect us to stop fighting each other and to do the right thing for the country. However, instead of doing that, the Republican majority has done the exact opposite by engaging in partisan political games that cost the U.S. our triple-A credit rating, resulted in several near government shutdowns and nearly led to the first national default in our history. These actions don't reflect the American people's will, but rather the priorities of the Republican leadership of the House. The American people have done everything they can to make it clear, but Mr. Speaker, allow me to repeat their refrain: Jobs! Last month, President Obama unveiled his vision for job creation in the United States. While I would like to see a bit more with regards to direct job creation, it is a good start to addressing our nation's high unemployment, a rate that hovers around 16 percent for African American communities. Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Black Caucus has been at the forefront of the call for jobs legislation in the 112th Congress. The CBC put together a nationwide jobs fair to not only bring attention to the appalling unemployment numbers in the black community and help bring those seeking jobs together with employers, but to turn up the volume on a national crisis that has taken a back seat to the majority's favored approach of simply cutting our way to prosperity.…”