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Congressman Tim Walberg today commented on Michigan’s need for good-paying jobs:

“The U.S. Department of Labor recently released its August jobs report, and the report confirms what we in Michigan already know: jobs are getting tougher to come by. The report showed a loss of 84,000 jobs in the United States during August. Our national unemployment rate is now 6.1%, and much higher in many parts of Michigan.

“During these tough economic times, Congress needs to work on policies designed to create good-paying jobs and break our dependence on foreign oil. If we can give our workers more opportunities and lower gas prices for families, America will rebound and our economy will start growing again.

“In order to do so, Congress must tighten its belt and foster a climate where good-paying jobs can be created. This is common sense. Just as you make sacrifices in your life when money gets tight, Washington, D.C. needs to do the same right now so that our economy can stabilize and grow again.

“Unfortunately, leadership in the House is pushing a massive $680 billion tax increase on families and job providers, and I am strongly fighting this ill-timed, bloated bill. Michigan’s economic turnaround depends on manufacturers innovating, growing and expanding, and higher taxes will prevent manufacturers from even thinking about growing.”

There is not a person in our country who has not seen a loved one suffer because of cancer. Cancer kills 565,000 Americans annually, and each year there are more than 1.4 million new cases. All Americans must work together to make eradicating the scourge of cancer a national priority of the highest order.

The federal government’s role in our nation’s fight against cancer has been significant but more must be done. We must make key investments in research at the National Institutes of Health, promote prevention and screenings, and be certain that every American gets appropriate treatment. We must also allow scientists to pursue the research that they believe has the highest likelihood to heal.

There are reasons for great optimism: scientists are working now to identify genetic changes that increase and decrease risk for cancer, to determine patterns of protein markers for early detection of cancer, and to better treat and cure the disease.

Let us all work together to make this a golden era of progress as we Stand Up to Cancer.

Today, the Department of Labor released its employment report for August showing a loss of another 84,000 American jobs, and an unemployment rate that climbed to 6.1 percent – the highest since September 2003. The economy has lost jobs for eight straight months, with a total of 605,000 American jobs lost this year.

The State of the Bush Economy

The unemployment rate climbed to 6.1 percent — the highest level in nearly five years (September 2003).

America has suffered an eighth straight month of job losses — 84,000 in August — totaling 605,000 so far this year.

The number of Americans looking for work climbed to 9.4 million in August – the highest number since December 1992. Nearly one in five (1.8 million) of those looking for work have been jobless for six months or more.

Average hourly earnings continue to fail to keep pace with inflation — up only 3.6 percent over the last year. Rising prices have pushed inflation up to 5.6 percent over the past 12 months.

Food prices have risen at an annualized rate of 8 percent over the last three months.

The American people are working harder, but making less even in the face of rising costs of health care, energy, and education. Since 2000, worker productivity is up, but the purchasing power of the typical working age family’s income is down by more than $2,000. As a result, 5.7 million more Americans are living in poverty and 7.2 million more Americans are without health care than in 2000.

Retail gas prices are at $3.68 a gallon – more than double that of 2001 – after peaking at $4.11 in July. Diesel prices remain high at $4.12 a gallon, more than two times the cost in 2001. In July, the price of a barrel of oil reached a new record of $147 per barrel, more than four times when Bush took office (today it is at $106). And heating costs are expected to reach record levels this winter.

Meanwhile, oil companies continue to report record profits, with Exxon Mobil posting the largest quarterly profits for an American company in history of nearly $12 billion in the 2nd quarter. Profits of the big five oil companies are projected to be more than $160 billion this year.

Speaker Pelosi on the Department of Labor report:

The economic policies of President Bush and the Republicans have delivered another blow to American families, as 84,000 more workers lost their jobs last month alone. Today, more than 9 million Americans are without work and millions more are struggling with the high cost of gas, health care and groceries, yet John McCain told Americans who are out of work or who just lost their jobs that another four years of the same failed Bush economic policies are the right solution for them and for America.

With the unemployment rate at a five-year high, it is clear that we must take immediate action to strengthen our economy. The New Direction Congress will soon act on a second economic stimulus package and a comprehensive energy plan that will create new American jobs, invest in renewables, increase domestic production, make America more energy independent, and break free of the failed Bush economic policies that John McCain and Republicans in Congress have rubber-stamped for far too long.

Hard-working Americans deserve economic policies that reward their efforts, strengthen their families, and keep the American Dream alive; that is what Democrats are committed to delivering.

Chairman George Miller:

Today’s news is yet another reminder that American workers continue to pay the price for eight years of President Bush’s economic policies. Already this year, more than 600,000 workers have lost their jobs, joining more than nine million Americans that are desperately looking for work. As separate data released yesterday shows, workers are now working harder for less. In today’s rough economy, this isn’t just bad news – its frightening news for the millions of workers who are working longer hours, taking on second and third jobs, and retiring later in life in order to make ends meet.

In light of this administration’s failed economic policies – giving huge tax cuts to the wealthy and hoping it trickles down – we need a new economic stimulus package that will create new jobs for workers and help strengthen middle class families. In June, the Democratic Congress took an important step by approving a much-needed extension of unemployment insurance to help out-of-work Americans.

Republicans in Congress should immediately drop their opposition to another economic stimulus and join us in working to provide additional, much-needed relief for workers.

Most economists agree that our nation’s turbulent economic times are not over. The combination of high energy costs, rising food prices, the housing crisis, and stagnant wages will continue to put stress on Americans’ pocketbooks. Despite all this, the Republican presidential ticket has failed to show any real grasp of how the ailing economy is hurting families – let alone offer any proposals for fixing it. After eight years of Bush economic policies and eight straight months of job losses, the last thing Americans need and want is more of the same – but it’s clear that’s exactly what the Republicans have to offer.

American workers and families deserve much, much better. For starters we need an administration that will once again treat workers with dignity and respect, and that believes that hard work should be rewarded with fair wages, benefits, and working conditions. We need an administration that understands the financial hardships facing families, and that has an economic plan for how to address them. And we need a President who will work for – not against – the interests of our workers.

As many of you know, on Tuesday I came back to DC to rejoin my Republican colleagues on the House floor instead of going to the National Republican Convention. This is the fifth week that House Republicans have stood with the American people in a historic nationwide protest against Speaker Pelosi’s decision to adjourn Congress for a five-week vacation without a vote on a comprehensive bill to lower gas prices and increase American-made energy.

I have been asked why I came back to DC. Well, the answer is that our families, neighbors, and businesses are struggling. Over the last month, the cost of gasoline has decreased slightly but if we don’t take action now, energy prices are going to skyrocket higher than we can imagine. This is only going to get worse in the coming winter months, especially for us in the Northeast, where home heating costs are also expected to soar. I am here in DC today because the Democrats inaction is unacceptable and unforgivable.

To read the text from the press conference click here 

To read the speech I gave on the House floor click here

For months, the President has ignored the bipartisan request of Congress to release a small portion of oil from our national stockpile to bring relief to consumers struggling with soaring gas prices at the pump. Today, the President announced that he responded to the request from an oil company to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

By ignoring the needs of consumers but responding to the request of oil companies, it is clear that the Bush-Cheney-McCain energy decisions are made with only one thing in mind – Big Oil.

The New Direction Congress is crafting a comprehensive energy strategy that will provide relief for consumers, end our dependence on foreign oil, create millions of jobs and grow our economy.

House Republicans will be meeting everyday this week on the House Floor to continue our discussion of real energy solutions and to protest Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to recess the House for the month of August without consideration of the American Energy Act.  The act would free up more energy resources by implementing an “all of the above” energy strategy which emphasizes conservation, alternatives, and more production of American energy, and is supported by a majority of House members.  Democratic leaders are blocking consideration of the American Energy Act and have even shut down the annual appropriations process to avoid floor votes. For the remainder of this week, live updates of the House floor protest can be found on the House Republican Policy Committee’s blog.

From the Hillsdale Daily News:

With the knowledge that there are many families with love to share and many children who need it, a Hillsdale couple is spreading roots in Hillsdale, creating a diverse family of nine.

The institute will honor the Hambletons, along with more than 180 Angels, at an awards ceremony and gala event Sept. 16 in Washington, DC.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement in response to President Bush’s comments today on energy:

For too long, the President’s and Republicans’ ‘drill only’ energy policies have reflected the demands of Big Oil.

The New Direction Congress is crafting a comprehensive energy strategy that will provide relief for consumers, end our dependence on foreign oil, create millions of jobs and grow our economy. The Democratic plan will promote efficiency and invest in renewable sources of energy, responsibly increase domestic supply by opening portions of the Outer Continental Shelf for drilling, with appropriate safeguards, and without taxpayer subsidies to Big Oil, and require Big Oil to pay the billions of dollars they owe in royalties to invest in clean energy resources.

America faces a choice: a continuation of the Bush-Cheney-McCain legacy of soaring prices and greater dependence on foreign oil or a comprehensive, bipartisan strategy that develops new and traditional sources of energy.