[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 128]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  START WORKING FOR WORKING AMERICANS

  (Mr. MESSER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, there has been a lot of talk today about the 
importance of unemployment benefits. The truth is that too many 
Americans are out of work. But my constituents don't just need jobs; 
they need good-paying jobs.
  The President touts the job gains in our economy. Unfortunately, many 
of the jobs gained over the past several years aren't the kind needed 
to get Hoosiers back on their feet. They are the kind that require long 
hours of work for little pay, with few or no benefits. They are the 
kind whose paychecks don't go as far as they used to because 
necessities like gas, food, education, and health care cost more and 
more. They are the kind where people work harder but fall farther 
behind. That is not the America I grew up in.
  My America--our America--is one where those who work hard and play by 
the rules can afford the basic necessities of life and then have a 
little left over for wants, not just needs.
  It is time for Congress to spend more time working for these 
hardworking Americans and less worrying about those who either don't 
need government or already have a government that works for them.

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