LARSON: INFRASTRUCTURE JOBS PROGRAM VITAL TO ECONOMIC RECOVERY

Washington, DC -- Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01), Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, issued the following statement in response to today’s unemployment numbers.

“Today’s unemployment numbers reinforce what I’ve been saying for months.  We must enact a comprehensive jobs program that puts the American people back to work and invests in our future economic strength.  Although we are beginning to see signs of a turnaround in our economy, the unemployment numbers continue to be dismal.  A jobless recovery is simply unacceptable to me.

“This nation used to be a leader in modern infrastructure. Our trains, bridges and roads were the envy of the world.  Now, as our economy has shed jobs, the world has moved ahead and our infrastructure is falling woefully behind.  We desperately need a transportation plan that provides a vision for the future of American infrastructure and puts the American people back to work realizing that vision.  To make sure that plan doesn’t add to our federal deficit, we should pay for the investments in infrastructure with a small transaction tax on stock and derivatives trades and the funds returned by the banks to the Troubled Asset Relief Program.  Wall Street was a major contributor to the current economic downturn that has cost so many American people their jobs.  The banks and executives who were rescued from the financial crisis should now be on the hook to help Main Street get back on its feet.”

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