Political Quotes

“While we do that, thousands of families in my State of Rhode Island and across the country are struggling to balance their household budgets. They are, in many cases, in dire circumstances. They are dealing with the effects of failed economic policies. Over the last several years, wages have been stagnant for most Americans. There has been no real increase in family income for almost a decade. In addition to a stagnant income, they have been assaulted by extraordinarily high prices. I had bakers in my office today whose bakeries in Rhode Island have to pay 100 percent more for wheat. What is staggering today is a fact my colleagues are probably aware of. The price of a barrel of oil is exceeding $110. That is the highest price ever for oil. It is even higher in real terms than we saw in the wake of the oil embargo of the 1970s. So wage growth and skyrocketing costs, particularly energy costs, are crushing and squeezing families. I regret that the President's budget proposal does not respond realistically to these current challenges.”