[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 125 (Friday, September 20, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H5772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          JOBS AND THE ECONOMY

  (Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss the 
economy and jobs. The White House believes we're moving in the right 
direction. But for most Americans--especially for those 4.3 million 
Americans who have been out of work for more than 27 weeks--that is 
just not good enough. Progress is not happening fast enough.
  Sadly, our Nation's labor participation rate now stands at 63.2 
percent, the lowest rate since 1978. The news for our younger Americans 
is even more sobering. This year, collective student debt loans toppled 
$1 trillion. And a recent poll by Accenture found that 41 percent of 
recent college graduates were underemployed relative to their 
education, making paying off those student loans extremely hard.
  What can we do to speed up job creation? Well, folks from the Indiana 
Chamber of Commerce visited me this week and they said we must reduce 
uncertainty. Washington can do that by solving our fiscal challenges, 
reforming our regulatory system, and stopping the job-killing taxes and 
disincentives set up by ObamaCare. House Republicans have a clear plan 
to create jobs and stimulate our economy, and it's time for our friends 
across the aisle to realize the status quo is just not acceptable.

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