[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 18485]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1300
                   LOSS OF JOBS HAS GONE OFF A CLIFF

  (Mr. ROE of Tennessee asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, with the national unemployment 
rate nearing 10 percent and Tennessee's own unemployment rate at over 
11 percent, people are outraged that not more is happening in 
Washington to help them find work. So far, this Congress has provided 
those who find themselves out of work extended benefits, but it 
insisted on taxing those benefits. Worse, the majority has not done 
enough to stimulate the economy and to produce jobs, the best benefit 
of all, which is a job.
  Despite all of the promises of a green job revolution and the 
millions of jobs that would be saved or created because of the economic 
stimulus package, the number of jobs since President Obama took office 
has gone off a cliff.
  Republicans have called for an immediate end to the tax on 
unemployment benefits, which would surely help those who have been hurt 
by this recession. We have also called for tax relief for small 
businesses who can use that money to create jobs. These measures can 
improve our economy immediately.
  American small businesses are the most innovative in the world and 
will pull us out of this recession if we allow them, but Democrats seem 
determined to prevent any recovery from occurring. In the past month, 
they moved to bludgeon our economy with a national energy tax and tax 
on small business to finance massive new health care entitlements.
  Enough is enough. Create jobs.

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