What do you think the Occupy Wall Street protests have accomplished?
People are angry, and I don’t blame them. Unemployment and foreclosures remain at record highs in some areas, the wealthiest in our country are dodging taxes, and the solution from an obstructionist House Republican Majority is [to] cut federal funding for programs for the most in need.
It is clear that people are mad as hell, and I don’t blame them. It is therefore no surprise that the ‘Occupy’ movement has spread from coast to coast. The things that were once within the reach of every family—housing, healthcare and education—now seem like distant luxuries.
This has all taken a heavy toll on our nation. Our country’s middle class is losing hope in the American Dream, and those struggling to hang on, living paycheck-to-paycheck, find themselves being squeezed and pushed into poverty.
The American people have made their voices heard. They want jobs. They need assistance. They yearn to reclaim the America they once knew.
Occupy Wall Street comes at a critical time for our nation. There are so many people suffering, frustrated and angry with the direction our country is going. The protesters have given them a voice, and sent a clear message that bailing out Wall Street, without supporting Main Street, is not acceptable.
As people across the country continue to make their voices heard, I will continue to urge my Republican Colleagues to join us in addressing the jobs emergency that is plaguing our communities. The current cut, squeeze and deregulate Republican agenda will not get us there. This is the time to invest in our communities and people that can create jobs today and well into the future.
The American Jobs Act seems to be hanging in the balance, with little sign of progress. After the Senate voted down the bill, what is the future of the President’s bill or any other jobs legislation?
There is a destructive political attitude currently hanging over our nation’s capitol. This attitude has been generated by extreme partisan gridlock, and an unwavering commitment from Tea Party Republicans to defeat anything presented by Democrats and President Obama. Time and time again, Democrats have put forward legislation to invest in our nation and much-needed jobs.
But, by same measure, the jobs legislation has been shot down only to be replaced with messaging bills that have no chance of passing the Senate or garnering a signature from the President. And most unfortunate is that this political warfare has been launched at the expense of helping millions of families that are struggling to make ends meet, and desperately seeking a helping hand.
Yet as people take to the streets, and demand action from their government, this remains the fact: Republicans have now spent 272 days in the House Majority without passing any legislation to create jobs.
Instead, they have merely threatened to shut down the government, gambled the good faith and credit of the United States, and attacked healthcare reform, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. And they have topped off their agenda with attempts to repeal environmental and labor regulations that are protecting the air we breathe and water we drink.
Now they are opposing the American Jobs Act that will put people back to work, put more money in workers’ pockets and is fully paid for. The time to act is now, and the American Jobs Act offers a clear path forward.
Once again Republicans have made their stance clear: they are more focused on defeating President Barack Obama than to help America get back on track. This is not the time for cuts that leave Americans without a home or job.
The American people have had enough. They demand their government’s help, and the end to partisan politics. As the voices on the streets get louder, I will continue to urge my colleagues to support the American Jobs Act and the jobs legislation we need.
