DeLauro Statement On November Job Losses

Press Release

Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) issued the following statement following news from the Labor Department that in October the economy shed another 533,000 jobs, the most in 34 years. With the job-loss figures sharply revised upward for October (to 320,000 from the earlier number of 240,000) and for September (to 403,000 from 284,000), the total job losses since January total nearly 2 million, most of which have been in the last three months. Further the unemployment rate increased to 6.7 percent, but likely would have been closer to 7 percent had the 420,000 men and women who had been working or looking for work in November not given up their search for a job.

"Staggering. Today's announcement that the economy shed 533,000 jobs has left me at a loss for words. While we talk of record numbers in the hundreds of thousands, we cannot lose sight of the implications for individual families struggling to get by in this economy. It is the difficulty they face in finding a job, paying the mortgage or rent, and buying groceries that should propel action.

"It should push President Bush and Senate Republicans to end their opposition to the emergency recovery bill approved by the House this past September. This package would be a down-payment on the larger investment clearly needed. In the meantime, it would immediately create jobs by investing in infrastructure, help provide additional relief to families who are struggling, and additional funds to the states and localities to prevent cuts in critical programs.

"But beyond the immediate need, Democrats in Congress are crafting an economic recovery plan that will make the long-term investments critical to turning around the economy - recovering from the recession and moving to long-term growth. We know we must make investments that will drive job creation, including infrastructure projects, such as roads, highways, rail and mass transit and water and watershed improvements, as well as alternative energy and American high-tech leadership. I hope that Republicans, faced with the latest shocking economic news, will drop the opposition they displayed this fall to join us at the table and help implement a meaningful plan.

"What is clear is that inaction is not an option - the depth of the job losses across the country and in Connecticut are too great. Democrats in Congress have a plan that can move forward now, but if President Bush continues to refuse to act, we will have an economic recovery plan ready for President-elect Obama to sign soon after he is sworn in."

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