Ellmers Slams Senate's Rejection of Cut, Cap and Balance

as North Carolina Unemployment Rate Rises to 9.9 %

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Renee Ellmers released the following statement from her office in Washington this afternoon:

"Today we received another example of how dire our economic crisis is. This morning, the NC Employment Security Commission announced that North Carolina's unemployment rate has risen to 9.9 percent, even higher than the national average. These figures are deeply disheartening and show that our economic situation is not getting the full attention it deserves. People are struggling to make ends meet and worrying as to whether their business will be the next to hand out pink slips. Small businesses are seeing their budgets busted by high energy costs and uncertainty that currently exist in the market due to the threat of higher taxes, inflation, and government overreach. When will President Obama and Governor Purdue wake up and realize that their policies have failed and are only causing more harm to our economy?"

"Here in Washington, we successfully passed the Cut, Cap and Balance Act on Tuesday, which I was pleased to co-sponsor. The Cut, Cap and Balance Act is a constitutional, permanent solution to put an end to the spending-driven debt crisis and save our children and grandchildren from a bankrupt future. But this morning, the Senate rejected this important law, preferring instead to continue to put off our financial problems as they have for the past three years. This is not only irresponsible, but even more, it is hurting the American people. 'Where are the jobs?' is not a skewed question. After today's unemployment report, it continues to be a very real question."

This morning, the North Carolina Employment Security Commission released the latest unemployment figures, showing that North Carolina’s unemployment rate rose to 9.9 percent in June after holding steady at 9.7 percent the previous three months. Some 446,377 North Carolinians were unemployed last month, while total nonfarm employment stood at more than 4.05 million.

Click here to read this morning's release from the NC Employment Security Commission.

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