[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8631]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, as the founder of the 
Congressional Out of Poverty Caucus, I rise to continue talking about 
the crisis of poverty and the ongoing jobs emergency in America today.
  Tea Party Republicans are busy blaming the President for our 
struggling economy, and the fact that our economy only gained 69,000 
jobs last month. I want to remind my Republican colleagues that it was 
their deregulation, failed economic policies, and two wars off-budget 
that had our Nation losing over a million jobs every month when 
President Obama came into office. We were losing over a half-million 
jobs every single month.
  Now they are complaining the Democrats have not been quick enough in 
cleaning up the Republicans' mess. The President and a Democratic 
Congress helped to stem that tide, and now despite every roadblock and 
Republican obstructionism, our economy is growing slowly and jobs are 
slowly coming back. So I don't understand how anyone can even try to 
blame the President's economic policies when they have refused to enact 
any of them.
  Republicans have refused to work with us and to help Americans 
refinance underwater homes, to help protect investors and consumers by 
implementing the sound regulations of the Dodd-Frank bill. Also, they 
refuse to pass the American Jobs Act, or any sort of jobs plan, quite 
frankly. In fact, Republicans have done everything possible to obstruct 
every proposal to create jobs at every turn. Even though 56 percent of 
Americans think jobs should be Congress' number one priority, 
Republicans have failed to pass even one significant jobs bill. 
Instead, they work to create another false panic about a so-called 
fiscal cliff if they aren't allowed to immediately extend hundreds of 
billions of dollars in tax giveaways to the wealthiest 1 percent of 
Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, there are only two real fiscal cliffs that I see. One is 
the fiscal cliff that will push our entire government over if they can 
make good on their threats and force our Nation into default and shut 
the government down. The second fiscal cliff is one that Republicans 
are pushing American families over the edge of when they cut off, mind 
you, cut off the emergency extension of critical unemployment benefits 
for millions of Americans who are struggling to find a job.
  Republicans are telling struggling Americans that there is a fiscal 
cliff if you are out of work; they have to cut off your employment 
benefits. They are telling struggling Americans that there is a fiscal 
cliff if you are poor and hungry; they have to cut your food stamps. 
But somehow, if you are rich and a defense contractor, Republicans make 
it their business to protect you from facing any cliff or falling off 
of any cliff.
  This is not the path forward for our Nation. What we need to do right 
now is to stop pushing families off fiscal cliffs. We have to support 
the economy by investing in the American people. We need to get back to 
growing the middle class by lifting millions of Americans out of 
poverty.
  Mr. Speaker, we must pass the American Jobs Act, invest in our 
country's infrastructure and transportation needs, increase job 
training efforts, and strengthen our safety net. Safety net programs 
like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and unemployment 
insurance just don't support struggling families, they support small 
businesses all across the country and in every single congressional 
district regardless of one's party.
  This Congress must ensure that our Nation's safety net is a bridge 
that is strong enough to deliver us all, even the most vulnerable, over 
these troubled waters.
  Americans are waiting. Democrats have been prepared to act, and 
Republicans must join us in creating jobs and reigniting the American 
Dream for all.

                          ____________________