Rep. John Kline (R-MN), the top Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, pointed to the latest employment report as further evidence that Democrat-controlled Washington is failing to focus on economic recovery even as families and small businesses continue to struggle. The figures, released this morning by the U.S. Department of Labor, showed a loss of 190,000 jobs in October, with the national unemployment rate reaching 10.2 percent, a 26-year high.
“This morning’s unemployment figures are sobering. Nearly nine months since enactment of an economic stimulus package that was supposed to provide an immediate economic boost, the pink slips just keep on coming,” said Kline. “With job losses mounting and American families struggling to get by, it is astonishing to see Democrats in Washington plotting yet another government takeover – this time, of the health care system that makes up one-sixth of our nation’s economy.”
Kline pointed to a series of proposals offered by Republicans earlier this year aimed at spurring job creation without growing government or exploding the deficit. For instance, Republicans proposed immediate tax relief for working families and small businesses while offering critical assistance to the unemployed by extending benefits and making them tax free. Coupled with pro-growth economic strategies, Republicans have offered smart health care solutions that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has confirmed will lower health care premiums – expanding access to affordable, quality health care at a price our country can afford.
“In their haste to put Washington bureaucrats in charge of vital medical decisions, Democrats have failed to deliver on their economic promises. The American people were promised jobs and economic recovery. Instead, they’re getting bigger government and less freedom. It’s time to press the ‘reset’ button on Democrats’ failed economic and health care policies and embrace commonsense, bipartisan reforms that will grow the economy, bring down health care costs, and restore fiscal responsibility,” said Kline.
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