Political Quotes

“I rise specifically to speak in strong support of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011. This legislation incorporates key components of the American Jobs Act and other bipartisan proposals designed to help veterans find jobs, including the Hiring Heroes Act, of which I am a proud cosponsor. These are commonsense policies that Congress can and should pass immediately. We are in the midst of an unemployment crisis that is obvious to every American, and it is a growing problem that is sapping not only our economic strength but indeed our sense of national purpose and our morale. The national unemployment rate has been hovering around 9 percent, and that means 14 million Americans are looking for work in one of the toughest economies since the Great Depression. But what is unfortunate--some might even say shameful--is that almost 1 million of those Americans looking for work are veterans returning home after valiantly serving our country. The unemployment rate for veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq is an indefensible 12.1 percent. It represents a significant blow to young men and women who are returning home after serving their country in very difficult circumstances. In 2010, 36 percent of Afghanistan and Iraq-era veterans were unemployed for longer than 26 weeks. Again, that is a shameful statistic. This unfortunate trend is mirrored in my home State of Rhode Island. We have a very high unemployment rate--10.5 percent, one of the highest in the Nation.…”