[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 156 (Tuesday, October 18, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6653-S6654]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              THE JOBS ACT

  Mr. MERKLEY. Mr. President, my colleague from Oklahoma was addressing 
the frustration that exists on the part of the American public with 
this Chamber for not doing its job. I must say, on that point, we are 
in complete agreement. I hear in every townhall, in every conversation 
with constituents, the question of why is it that when what we need 
most in this Nation are jobs, this Chamber, the Senate, is unable to 
hold a debate over a jobs bill? Just last week we had a debate not over 
a jobs bill but whether to proceed to the jobs bill. Unfortunately, it 
was defeated, not because the majority did not want to get to the bill 
but because the minority opposed it and invoked a 60-vote hurdle, a 
hurdle that was never routinely used in this Chamber in the past.
  The fear of debating a jobs bill in this Chamber by my colleagues is 
irrational. The American people want us to wrestle with creating jobs. 
Have people not gone out and talked to their constituents? Do they not 
know the unemployment rate in this Nation? Do they not hear from 
fathers and mothers who are worried about keeping shelter over their 
family or worried about their mortgage, their rent, their utilities?
  I do not understand how anyone could say: Let's not have a debate 
about jobs on the floor of the Senate. Yet it was a unanimous ``no'' 
vote from across the aisle when we proposed having the debate over the 
jobs bill. I think it is so important that all of us in this Chamber 
who actually receive a paycheck understand the challenge and the plight 
of American citizens who either are working part time in multiple jobs 
trying to make ends meet or who have lost their job and are completely 
unemployed.
  Over the past 10 years, we have lost 5 million manufacturing jobs in 
this country. Over the last 10 years, we have lost 50,000 factories in 
this country. Working families are in a tremendous crunch. I thought I 
would simply share some stories from back home because there does not 
seem to be many people listening to folks back home and their concern 
that this Chamber debate and produce a jobs bill and get it to the 
President.
  Jerry from Linn County says:

       I was laid off in April, 2009. It took me 2 years and 2 
     months to find a contracting job. I appreciate having a job, 
     however I have no

[[Page S6654]]

     benefits, no holiday pay, no vacation pay, no medical or 
     dental coverage. My wife recently suffered a badly broken 
     leg. We have no insurance. Her injury required surgery and a 
     hospital stay. Now we are in danger of losing the house that 
     I bought in 1993.
       I am told that my contract has been renewed for another 
     year. That will bring us to May of 2012. Then I have to leave 
     for three months before I can return. I am given no promise 
     of being able to return to work there.

  That is Jerry's story that he sent in to share.
  Virginia from Hillsboro writes:

       In February 2010, my department at my company was advised 
     we would be laid off after transitioning our job duties to a 
     replacement staff in India. It felt like quite a blow.
       Prior to the layoff, the company had not given us raises 
     for 3-4 years, even though they were reporting profits. Half 
     of our department was laid off within a few months.
       I filed a TAA petition to attempt to attain additional 
     funds or schooling for the people at our department, but it 
     was denied.
       The year before I was laid off, my daughter, who lives with 
     us with her son, changed jobs and then was laid off from the 
     new job. Four months after my layoff, my husband was advised 
     the rest of his department is being laid off after their job 
     duties were transitioned to an off-shore site; hopefully, he 
     will have work until March.
       My daughter, myself, and my husband are all looking for 
     work.
       We moved my mother up with us three years ago, so now we 
     have four generations living in our home. I have no idea what 
     will happen if none of us can find work. My husband served 
     his time in the Army and he and I have always worked full-
     time, steady jobs. It feels like we're being punished for 
     spending our lives working to take care of our family and to 
     keep a roof over our heads.
       I read in the papers this morning that things are improving 
     in Oregon, but, honestly, I don't see it. Americans are 
     hurting.
       Americans need jobs! We want to work and need to work! We 
     are not lazy--we are innovators and always have been! We need 
     to regain our pride in our country, help each other and quit 
     focusing on greed.

  That was Virginia from Hillsboro. And if you didn't catch the 
beginning, her letter started by saying that she and her team were laid 
off after training replacements in India to take over their jobs. This 
terrible economy is resulting in multiple generations of her family 
without work.
  Julio from southwest Portland says:

       I am 31 years old with my first baby on the way and I can 
     honestly tell you I am nowhere where I thought I would be at 
     this point in my life. Upon graduating high school, I joined 
     the Navy. I did a 6-year enlistment. My mother was a 
     housekeeper and my father was an ordained minister and they 
     were unable to help me with the expenses of higher education, 
     so I took full advantage of the GI bill once I was honorably 
     discharged in 2004.
       I completed my degree in three years and nine months and 
     graduated with a bachelor's in business management and a 
     minor in economics. I strongly felt that as a 6-year veteran 
     of the Navy, with a degree in business, and being bilingual, 
     that I would have no problem finding employment.
       Unfortunately, I had the misfortune of graduating just as 
     the financial world collapsed in 2008. Three years later, I 
     work two jobs and still make less than $30,000 a year. I have 
     interviewed for several great jobs, but due to the same 
     amount of people applying for the same position I have lost 
     out to individuals with a great amount of experience.
       I know I can do well, but in our current environment I feel 
     as though I don't even have a chance. Anything you can do to 
     create better paying jobs in Oregon would be greatly 
     appreciated.

  That was Julio from southwest Portland.
  These stories that are coming from our single parents, coming from 
our husbands, our wives, are coming from folks who are taking care of 
their parents. They are coming from folks who are trying to take care 
of their children, and you can feel the sense of frustration. You can 
feel the sense of panic in this economy.
  Last week this Chamber debated whether to have a debate about 
creating jobs. My colleagues across the aisle said, no, we will not let 
the jobs bill come to the floor. I must say I am extraordinarily 
frustrated that at this time in this economy, with so many Americans 
hurting, my colleagues are unable to summon the connection to the 
challenge of the American family so that we can have a full debate on 
this floor on a jobs bill.
  These families that are writing, as you can tell from the letters, 
served their country. Several of them were in the service. They played 
by the rules. They worked hard. But they have been let down again and 
again by a political system that has protected tax breaks for the 
wealthy over creating jobs and opportunities for working families.
  I hope we will have another chance to decide whether to debate a jobs 
bill, and I hope every Member of this Chamber will say yes to taking 
and shutting down tax breaks, $20 billion a year for oil companies that 
are stashing that money in the bank and not creating a single job with 
it, and instead take that $20 billion and put it to work on energy 
retrofits, which is, according to every economist, the best bang for 
the buck we could possibly have in creating jobs. You cannot outsource 
a single bit of the labor, and virtually all of the products are made 
right here in our economy, from the pink cotton candy insulation to the 
double-paned windows to the caulk. That is just one example of the kind 
of conversation we should be having.
  We should be having a conversation about whether we should be helping 
our school districts hire teachers. Some will agree, some will not, but 
let's have the debate. If someone wants to propose an amendment and say 
we don't want to help our school districts, we can do something better 
to create jobs, let's have that debate. Let's not sit on our hands when 
American families are suffering. Let's get to work and create jobs that 
the families across America need.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Bennet). The Senator from Tennessee.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Are we in morning business?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Yes.

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