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The Time to Act Is Now |
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Washington, DC— Today, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), a member of the Joint Economic Committee, released the following statement in response to testimony from Dr. Keith Hall, Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, during the Committee’s hearing this morning on the nation’s employment situation:
“Earlier today, Commissioner Hall testified before the Joint Economic Committee that our job market is at one of its lowest points in over a century, and it continues to worsen every day.
“Millions of Americans wake up each morning to homelessness, unemployment, and hunger. Men and women across our nation are drowning in an economy created by eight years of terrible economic policy. Today’s staggering job numbers are a bright red flag that we need to provide assistance to American families yesterday.
“More than two months ago, the House of Representatives passed emergency economic recovery legislation that would provide immediate relief to the men and women who need it the most—including the 533,000 who lost their jobs in November and the nearly two million who lost their jobs since the beginning of the year. We cannot ask these men and women to continue their suffering until the transition of a new President and Congress. The time to act is now.
“I strongly encourage my colleagues in the Senate to immediately pass this legislation when they return to session next week. We are the last line of defense for millions of desperate Americans who are trying to make ends meet. The time has passed for partisan politics. President Bush and the Republican Senators who are stalling this emergency relief for the American people must come together to help the men and women whom they have been elected to protect.”
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