Lee to GOP: We Need a Jobs Bill
Contact Kristal DeKleer (202) 225-1882
Washington, D.C.– Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) issued the following response to the figures released by the Department of Labor showing a rise in the unemployment rate to 8.2 percent:
“Today, the Department of Labor released a bleak jobs report for May, adding 82,000 private sector jobs with a net gain of 69,000 jobs. The overall unemployment rate increased to 8.2 percent.
“These are not simply numbers for the millions of Americans looking for work – they are lost jobs, missed opportunities, and anxious futures for themselves and their families. Those hardest hit continue to be Hispanics (11% up from 10.3%), African Americans (13.6% up from 13%), and youth (little change at 24.6%). Long-term unemployment remains a grave concern, as 5.4 million people have been out of work for longer than 27 weeks (42.8% of the total unemployed up from 41.3%).
“It doesn’t have to be a jobless recovery. I urge GOP House leaders to bring up the American Jobs Act, invest in our infrastructure, increase job training efforts, and strengthen our safety net. Only by providing these millions of struggling American families with genuine and long term pathways to prosperity, can we reignite the American Dream.
“The Department of Labor reports that nearly one million jobless workers exhausted their benefits in May, with another 2 million exhausting their benefits by the end of the year. This year, 3 million families will be abruptly cut off as emergency extensions of unemployment insurance run out. Congress must be prepared to act to extend unemployment benefits for those who will exhaust their benefits. I reiterate my call to Speaker Boehner to allow an up or down vote on H.R. 589, a bill I introduced that would provide fourteen weeks of benefits for those whose were cut-off from emergency unemployment benefits in the middle of an emergency.
“Over the last 514 days of GOP control in the House, Republican leadership has failed to enact any jobs measures or put forth any clear jobs agenda. This is nothing short of a national emergency and Republicans must come to the table and work to create jobs and provide some relief for the millions of Americans still struggling to find a good job.”
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