Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) issued the following statement in reaction to the jobless report today stating a rise in the unemployment rate after only 39,000 jobs were added in November.   

“Today’s numbers were a disappointing reminder that our nation’s economy and millions of Americans are still suffering.  This increases the urgency to provide more help to the millions of Americans who are out of work. Senate Republicans would rather give tax breaks to the wealthy than help the unemployed Americans struggling through the holiday season. They have held the extension of unemployment insurance benefits for out-of-work Americans past the deadline for renewal and benefits have been halted.  It is inconceivable that while working families are scrambling to pay their bills, buy their children holiday presents and simply put food on the table, Senate Republicans would hold them hostage to get tax breaks for those who have no need at all.

“Senate Republicans must stop demanding that tax cuts for the rich be given – with the cost ignored – while the unemployed are left out in the cold.  Their demands to pay for those benefits before granting them, while at the same time demanding unpaid tax cuts for billionaires is a bizarre holiday message to send to Americans.

“The best way to spur our economy right now is to put money in the hands of those who need it most and will spend it fastest.  Non-partisan studies have shown returns of two dollars in economic benefits for every dollar invested in unemployment insurance.

The New York State Department of Labor said 200,000 New Yorkers stand to lose their benefits this month, and 400,000 will exhaust their benefits by May 2011 if Congress doesn't act.  That equates to a $13 billion hit to New York’s fragile economy.   New York had 526,949 unemployment benefit recipients in October, 41% of whom were on extended emergency benefits. The latest unemployment rates are 8.3% in the state and 9.2% in the city.

“Republicans have made it clear that their priority is to provide millionaires and billionaires with a tax cut of $100,000 each in 2011 alone, more than 100 times what a middle-income family would get.

”The front page headline in the New York Daily News on Thursday said it exactly right: ‘GOP to City jobless: DROP DEAD.’”

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