August 20, 2003

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Comments on Latest California Unemployment Figures

Latest Statistics Show 21,800 More Jobs Lost in the State During July

Oakland, CA – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) said today that the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics confirm that President Bush’s economic policies continue to hurt workers in California. Since President Bush took office, 285,600 jobs have been lost in California, with 21,800 of these jobs lost during the month of July.

Since President Bush was inaugurated in January 2001, the economy has lost a total of 3.2 million private-sector jobs. The unemployment rate nationwide is 6.2%, with 9.1 million people out of work across the country, an increase of 51% since Bush took office. In addition, 470,000 people have given up looking for work altogether because they believe no jobs are available. In California, the unemployment rate stands at 6.6%; on Bush’s Inauguration Day, the rate was 4.7%.

The poor economy under the Bush Administration has had a particularly devastating impact on the nation’s manufacturing sector. In July, the economy lost an additional 71,000 manufacturing jobs. Indeed, overall, 2.5 million of the 3.2 million private-sector jobs lost since January 2001 have been in the manufacturing sector.

“Since President Bush took office, 3.2 million jobs have been lost, and more than $3 trillion in deficits over 10 years will be added to the national debt,” said Lee. “Workers throughout the country are suffering under the policies of a President with the worst job-creation record in more than 50 years. More than halfway through his term, President Bush has lost an average of 84,000 jobs per month. That is not a record to be proud of.”

Lee supported an economic growth package unveiled by House Democrats that would have created more than 1 million jobs this year, by providing tax cuts to middle-income Americans, small businesses and US manufacturers, providing relief for states and the unemployed, and investing in highways to create good-paying jobs and strong communities. Earlier this summer, Lee also called on the House to follow the Senate’s example and pass a measure to extend the child tax credit to millions of children in hard working families left out of the plan the President signed into law. House Republican leaders instead chose to leave Washington for the month of August without extending this child tax credit to 12 million children.

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