Rush launches bipartisan, 120-member Jobs NOW! Congressional Caucus

WASHINGTON -- "Hello and welcome.  I am happy to be here today to announce the beginning of one of the largest, if not the largest, caucus in the United States Congress.  As pleased as we are to continue our work on stimulating job growth in our nation, we are anything but celebratory about the abysmal unemployment rate of 10.2 percent, up from 9.8 percent before October of this year.

"We are saddened and appalled that 8.2 million people have lost their jobs since December, 2007, and that 9.3 million Americans are currently working part-time jobs due to economic reasons, despite their desire and ability to work full-time jobs. 
"In the last year alone, over 645,000 jobs were lost every month.  These are just a few of the staggering numbers that trouble all of us—Democrat or Republican, urban or suburban, majority or minority—all of us.
 
"It is no wonder then that, over the course of two days, more than 125 members of Congress have pledged to come together, across the political spectrum, to agree to caucus together soon, and often, to discuss solutions to the jobs crisis. 
"The JOBS NOW! Congressional Caucus is here to declare that the nation’s jobless situation is, indeed, a national crisis, and we need to put politics aside to discuss solutions that will help put America back to work!

"We are pledging ourselves to find ways to ensure that future legislation can incrementally, and sustainably, improve the jobless numbers.  We pledge ourselves to determine how decisions we make in Congress can create new jobs in our communities.  We are pledging to address the 51,000 manufacturing jobs that were lost, last month, among a whole host of other issues and initiatives. 

"Among other issues, this caucus will seek to closely examine worker training, increasing domestic manufacturing and production capacity in the United States, reducing trade deficits and reducing outsourcing.

"We also must look at ways to encourage investment in our most challenging market areas—areas with the highest rates of joblessness.

"These are the hard questions we simply must tackle…and the time for action is now!
"Thank you."

Congressman Rush (at podium) delivers opening statement at the launch of the Jobs NOW! Congressional Caucus. 
Shown with him, from left, are U. S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-IL); Jobs NOW! Co-Chair Candice S. Miller (R-MI);
Jobs NOW! Co-Chair Marcy Kaptur (D-OH); and U. S. Rep. Diane E. Watson (D-CA).

# # #