[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2954]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          LET'S WORK TOGETHER

  (Mr. CICILLINE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss an issue that 
is very important to the hardworking men and women in my home State of 
Rhode Island. Rhode Islanders learned yesterday that our workforce has 
grown smaller and our unemployment rate sits at 10.9 percent, the third 
highest in the Nation.
  While some may struggle to see these problems from the steps of the 
Capitol, I hear frequently from constituents who can't understand why 
the House still has not considered a comprehensive jobs plan. That's 
why I and many of my colleagues have been working hard on legislation 
to put Americans back to work, including our Make it In America agenda 
to help reinvigorate American manufacturing.
  We also need to start developing new ways to repair America's 
infrastructure and new ways to finance it, like a national 
infrastructure bank, a modern-day version of the WPA, and provide much 
needed help to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Yet the House 
leadership has stood in the path of progress on these issues.
  Rhode Islanders know that Congress can do better. We need to work 
together and get these things done and get the American people back to 
work.

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