[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 9, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H880]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IS OUTSOURCING RESPONSIBILITIES RELATING TO 
                          JOBS AND THE ECONOMY

  (Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to jobs and the economy, 
this administration has outsourced its responsibility.
  The Department of Labor has just given us proof. February 
unemployment figures are grim and include a stunning revelation: the 
private sector actually lost jobs last month. The meager 21,000 jobs, 
new jobs, all came from local and State government. This is not 
economic recovery; it is an economic crisis. Long-term unemployment is 
at its highest level in 20 years. The unemployment rate among teens is 
a staggering 37 percent. The Community Service Society says in some 
cities the unemployment rate among black men is 50 percent.
  The administration has turned its back on average Americans. We must 
pass extended unemployment benefits. An administration that does not 
care about the average American is an administration that has 
outsourced its leadership. It has gone somewhere. We need to get it 
back.

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