FAIRFIELD, CA – Congressman John Garamendi (D-Walnut Creek, CA) today issued the following statement after Senate Republicans once again blocked critical jobs legislation last night:
"Once again, Senate Republicans are telling our country’s 15 million people out of work through no fault of their own: 'Not our problem. You’re on your own. You’re out of luck.'
"Through the Recovery Act and other jobs bills, we’ve made significant progress in turning around an economy crippled by the Bush administration and its GOP allies in Congress. Yet despite this progress, let’s not forget that for every five people out of work, there is presently only one job available. We must extend benefits for people out of work while continuing smart investments in job creation and small business assistance.
"Congressional Republicans like to smear those out of work, calling them lazy and dependent, claiming we can’t help them. This is coming from the party that brought us massive tax cuts for the super rich while launching two unfunded wars, converting President Clinton’s $559 billion surplus into President Bush’s $1.2 trillion deficit. Over the past seven months, our economy has generated 1.2 million jobs; that’s more than the paltry one million jobs created in the eight years of the Bush administration. People are out of work because our economy was mismanaged and neglected for eight years. The only way for America to reduce our deficit while growing our economy is to get Americans back to work.
"If Senate Republicans want our economy to fail, they should keep on doing exactly what they’re doing. We are on a path to recovery, but without additional investments at this period of economic transition, we risk falling into a double dip recession. Jobs for teachers, nurses, construction workers, and young adults are on the line, and their success ultimately dictates the success of our country. If Senate Republicans care at all about this country and want to see everyday Americans thrive and succeed, then I hope they support this commonsense jobs bill."