Congresswoman Lee Issues Statement on March Jobs Report
Contact: Ricci Graham
(510) 763-0370
Washington, D.C.– Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) issued the following response to the figures released by the Department of Labor showing a continuing decline in unemployment rates:
“Today’s jobs report showed a gain of 120,000 jobs in March. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the number of unemployed and the national unemployment rate both edged lower to 12.7 million and 8.3 percent. March marks the 25th consecutive month of private sector job growth. I am pleased to see that we are continuing to move in the right direction.
“But the rate of job growth has slowed and I believe that we can and must do more to immediately spur more robust job growth. I again call on all of my Republican colleagues to join Democrats in creating jobs and reigniting the American Dream for all. Republicans in the House should pass President Obama’s American Jobs Act immediately.
“I continue to call for targeted programs and projects to help those who are hardest hit, which continue to be youth (25%), Hispanics (10.3%), and African Americans (14%) and the long term unemployed, those without a job for longer than 27 weeks, who were essentially unchanged at 5.3 million, and accounted for 42.5% percent of the unemployed.
“Americans want to work. Americans want to do their part to get our country back on track. Good paying jobs with real American benefits are the only way that we can reduce our deficits and put us back on a pathway to prosperity for all.
“We know that in a couple of months one million jobless workers will exhaust their unemployment benefits, followed by another million in August and another million by the end of the year. Nearly 3 million families will be abruptly cut off this year as emergency extensions of unemployment insurance run out and they find themselves with no income and nowhere to turn. Congress must prepare now to extend benefits to prevent what will be a massive hit to our economy. Unemployment benefits don’t just help the families who are looking for a good job, but it safeguards our entire economy from sliding back into recession. Congress must ensure that this critical bridge over troubled waters is strong enough to help both the long term unemployed and hundreds of thousands of small businesses across America who rely on them as customers.
“My bill, H.R. 589, provides this lifeline, not only to jobless workers and their families, but to the entire economy. Not only do jobless workers need assistance for food and shelter month to month, but unemployed workers immediately spend the assistance – which stimulates the economy and contributes to job growth. It is far past time we act.”
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