[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16654]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              UNEMPLOYMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy) for 2 minutes.
  Mr. CASSIDY. Unemployment continues to hover over 9 percent. And when 
we say unemployment as 9 percent, that is a statistic. But we know that 
it's just not a statistic; it is a family. It is a family which is less 
able to provide, less able to have stability because of this 
unemployment rate.
  Now, as it turns out, the unemployment rate is not generally 
distributed. It turns out it's principally among blue collar workers. 
Blue collar workers have traditionally been employed in manufacturing, 
construction, and mining. And this is one of the reasons why I, and 
many Republicans and many Democrats, so strongly support the Keystone 
XL project.
  Think about it. Because they will extract that oil from the ground, 
creating jobs there, they are then going to build a pipeline, 
construction. And to build that pipeline, they have to manufacture 
steel. We're going to be creating jobs by this one project in the three 
areas that those who are now unemployed are principally employed in.
  Now, this is not done with government subsidies. It does not put the 
taxpayer at risk. Indeed, it will generate more tax, not by increasing 
rates, but by increasing income, more tax receipts to help lower our 
Nation's deficit.
  I could go on about the increase in energy security, about how the 
oil sands actually have a better carbon footprint than some of the oil 
we are now importing from Venezuela. But the bottom line is we are in a 
recession of 9 percent. The President has the ability to create 20,000 
jobs directly and 100,000 thereafter.
  I think because of this and to show the kind of across-the-aisle 
support for this--this pipeline is supported by the Laborers 
International Union of North America, the Teamsters, the AFL-CIO, the 
Pipeline Contractors Association, and other major unions.

                              {time}  1130

  Mr. President, please create 20,000 jobs directly, 100,000 jobs 
indirectly, a total package, targeting those people who are most 
unemployed now without using a government subsidy and, in fact, by 
increasing government tax receipts and, in so doing, increase our 
energy security. Please approve the Keystone XL project.

                          ____________________