[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 44 (Thursday, March 12, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H3339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     UNEMPLOYMENT IN NORTH CAROLINA

  (Mr. BUTTERFIELD asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, yesterday it was announced that North 
Carolina's unemployment rate for January is 9.7 percent. This 
represents a 16 percent increase from December, and it is at its 
highest mark in 26 years. I have good reason, Mr. Speaker, to worry 
that the numbers will be even worse in my congressional district when 
they are reported.
  It was devastating to learn yesterday that Cummins Diesel, 
Incorporated, will lay off 25 percent of its workforce. That is 390 
people in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, an area that is already 
suffering an unemployment rate of nearly 14 percent.
  We must pull together, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as 
Americans, to rally behind President Obama's plan to revive our 
economy. This is not a quick fix. It is a measured, responsible, 
transparent and accountable approach.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in helping families who 
are hurting.

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