Political Quotes

“first of all, let me compliment the work of my senior Senator, Jack Reed, on this issue. When I first came to the Senate 3 years ago, Senator Reed had already established his reputation as somebody who fought passionately for unemployment insurance for people who were out of work. He understood that a family who is out of work, through no fault of their own, very often has the unemployment insurance they and their employers have contributed to as their only lifeline; that as our vibrant economy goes through ups and downs, there are times when individual families pay a terrible price when the economy contracts, when jobs are lost, and when individual families have to make what Vice President Biden called that ``longest walk'' up the stairs to tell their kids, their families, they have lost their job. At that time, that lifeline for a hard-working family who, through no fault of their own, is out of work is all important. Senator Reed knows that well. He has been a champion on this issue, not just when it has been at the forefront of national attention as it is right now, but day in and day out, constantly fighting for the people in Rhode Island and folks across this country who need this lifeline. I wanted to say a few words to echo Senator Reed's comments. Rhode Island still has 12 percent unemployment. We have the fourth worst unemployment of any State in the country.”