[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 33 (Tuesday, March 16, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H1099-H1100]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TAX CUTS DO NOT CREATE JOBS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to speak about the 
continual frustration that Americans feel when it comes to their jobs, 
or lack of jobs.
  The American people are getting mixed messages when it comes to the 
economy, and we have a responsibility to give it to them straight and 
put in place the measures that are going to help.
  The administration tells the American people that the economy is 
growing, and we hear today that a new survey shows that 28 percent of 
employers plan to add workers, but we have yet to see such strong 
growth. The Congressional Budget Office estimates only 4.8 percent of 
the gross domestic product growth in 2003, providing strong suggestions 
that the growth touted by the administration is not sustainable. Not 
only is that growth not sustainable, the American people are not 
feeling the effects of it.
  My Republican colleagues will say, but the unemployment rate dropped 
in January. However, by stressing the unemployment rate has dropped to 
5.6 percent, they fail to tell the rest of the story that paints the 
true picture of the job market in our country. Job growth is not 
following economic growth. Profits are up, but job creation is not. It 
is that simple. The working-age population has increased by 2.4 percent 
and needed an additional 4.7 million jobs since March of 2001 just to 
support these new workers. Instead, jobs since then have decreased by 
2.35 million, creating a gap of 7 million jobs lost in the job market.
  There are not enough jobs to even sustain the growth in population, 
much less provide employment for all of our workers affected by plant 
closures, company downsizing, and the outsourcing. Each month, 125,000 
additional Americans want to enter the workforce. These people are not 
to be confused with our currently unemployed workers; rather, these are 
Americans who have graduated from high school or college. And, the 
112,000 jobs created in January do not even compensate enough for these 
new workers, much less help absorb the 2.35 million Americans who have 
lost their jobs since this recession began.
  To make matters worse, the economy only created 21,000 jobs in 
February, and an additional 392,000 civilian workers left the workforce 
last month. However, the Labor Department's monthly unemployment 
statistics do not count that 392,000 unemployed workers. They do not 
count any of the 2.8 million Americans who constitute the ``missing 
labor force,'' or those who have given up looking for jobs or left the 
labor market all together. Sure, the unemployment rate can drop if we 
do not count those who have already left the labor force. But, if we 
include these workers into the unemployment statistics, the country's 
current unemployment rate jumps to 7.4 percent.
  And what have we done for those who have found themselves laid off or 
unemployed? The administration cut taxes and said tax cuts will create 
306,000 jobs each month. Yet, in 8 months, a total of only 294,000 jobs 
have been created, not the 2,448,000 that this administration said tax 
cuts would create. Just a little short.
  If the Republican majority is not going to create jobs, they should 
at least help the country's unemployed by extending unemployment 
benefits. Again this year, Congress left town before Christmas without 
providing unemployed Americans with a 13-week temporary extension of 
their benefits. It is March now, and Congress still has failed to act 
on this important benefit to unemployed Americans.
  The need for extended unemployment benefits is real. This is the 
longest recession without job recovery since the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics began collecting data in 1939, since recovering from the 
Great Depression. This is the longest recession without job recovery. 
We do not need statistics to demonstrate that need. To those of us who 
hear from and visit with our unemployed constituents, it is equally 
clear.
  We continue to hear the hollow argument that our recent economic 
growth

[[Page H1100]]

mitigates the need for jobless benefits. There has not been job growth 
in our country. I would like to talk about a conversation I had with a 
constituent of mine. Let us call her Mrs. Crawford. Mrs. Crawford, 
single and 60 years old, was laid off quite some time ago. In January 
she joined the 80,000 Americans who lose their unemployment benefits 
each week. I asked Mrs. Crawford if the administration's economic 
policies have helped her, and she told me that not only did she not 
receive any tax cuts that were supposed to stimulate the economy, the 
so-called economic growth as a result of these tax cuts has not 
increased her job opportunities.
  The administration will tell her that the economy is growing, and we 
do not need extension on jobless benefits, but they have conveniently 
left out the fact that the temporary extension was created to deal with 
the very economic conditions we face today. In fact, the program was 
created when unemployment stood at 5.7 percent and the country had lost 
2 million jobs. Now, the unemployment rate is at 5.6 and the country 
has lost a net of 2.35 million jobs. And with 80,000 Americans losing 
their unemployment benefits each week with no jobs to go to, there is 
no doubt about the need for an extension.
  The Senate voted last month, 58 to 39, to support an extension. Let 
us stop sending the American people these symbolic, yet mixed messages 
of support, and pass a clean bill extending unemployment benefits. If 
the majority of this Congress is not going to talk straight on the 
economy, the least they can do is provide Americans with temporary 
relief.

                          ____________________