WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton made the following statement after the Senate voted to extend unemployment insurance benefits.

“Extending unemployment benefits is an important step which I’ve advocated to help Americans hardest hit by this deepening recession. I urge the President to quickly sign this legislation into law. And we must also go further to speed an economic recovery and help those middle class and hardworking families bearing the brunt of this economic crisis.

“According to the U.S. Department of Labor, new claims for unemployment benefits jumped last week to a 16-year high. We’ve already seen 10 straight months of job losses and the New York City Council estimates that the City alone may lose roughly 112,000 jobs in this downturn.

“For Americans who lose their jobs, unemployment insurance provides a lifeline. But we need to do more to create new jobs and spur economic growth. That is why I have urged President Bush and Congressional leaders to move quickly on a comprehensive stimulus package to invest in clean energy and infrastructure projects that will put hundreds of thousands of Americans to work while igniting innovation and providing the building blocks for our present and future prosperity. And while we’ve taken steps to stabilize financial markets, we should also take steps to stabilize U.S. manufacturing and its backbone, the automakers. With nearly 98,000 auto-related jobs in New York, and millions more across the country threatened, we cannot afford to let widening economic turmoil cost us these jobs at such a difficult time. I’ve also called for assistance to cash-strapped cities and states to prevent cuts to critical services like health care for children and seniors. And I’ve proposed steps to prevent another wave of foreclosures that threaten families at risk of default and homeowners who have seen their home values plummet. This remains the root of the current recession and therefore must be the root of our efforts to bring it to an end.”

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