Press Release
Today, Israel and its friends around the world mark the 63rd Yom Ha'atzmaut: Israel's Independence Day. On this day, we celebrate the historic accomplishment of the establishment of a state dedicated to principles of political and religious freedom in the ancient homeland of the Jewish people. We honor the generations of public-spirited men and women who have, against great odds, made the State of Israel such a success. And, as Americans, we reaffirm our steadfast commitment to the security of our democratic ally--a commitment that began when President Truman announced America's recognition of the Jewish state just minutes after its independence was declared. May Israel celebrate many more Independence Days in the years to come.
Today’s report on March employment levels brought encouraging news for our economy. Our economy added a net total of 244,000 jobs, while our private sector grew by 268,000 jobs. That number marks the 16th straight month of private-sector job growth under President Obama—as well as the strongest month for private-sector jobs since February 2006, before the Bush recession. Nevertheless, the unemployment rate increased by .2 percentage points to 9.0%; and while that increase represents more Americans entering the job market as the economy recovers, the fact remains that millions are still out of work, at a time when high gas prices are putting a strain on every American family.
This May, America marks Asian Pacific American Heritage Month: a month to honor the history and contributions of some 16 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. May was chosen as the month for this observance because it is the anniversary of two important events in the history of this community: the arrival in the of the first Japanese immigrants to America, on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad—constructed in large part by Chinese immigrants—on May 10, 1869.
All Americans are concerned about high gas prices and the growing cost they are imposing on our families. We should also be concerned that those high prices might stall our economic recovery.
After four months in the House majority, Republicans have yet to put forward a jobs agenda. But one partisan priority has taken an inordinate amount of their time: voting on legislation to undo the Affordable Care Act (ACA), even though they know that repeal will not become law. House Republicans already took a largely symbolic vote to repeal the ACA—now they are taking another series of votes to defund more of its provisions.
...they needed to create jobs. Very frankly we've been here for four months without jobs legislation being offered on the Floor of the House of Representatives. What we're rolling out today as we talk about creating job is a focus on job creators...
Today, Treasury Secretary Geithner informed Congress that, unless we act to ensure that America pays the bills that it has incurred, our country will approach its debt ceiling by May 16. Extraordinary efforts by the Treasury Department may allow for a reprieve through about August 2. In any case, the responsibility of Congress is the same. Reaching the debt ceiling is still imminent—and the consequences of failing to act, and defaulting on our debts, would still be catastrophic for the American and world economies. We must take what Speaker Boehner has called the ‘adult’ course of action and pay our bills.
"Nearly ten years after the horrific attacks of September 11, the United States has killed the mastermind behind that attack that took thousands of lives. That terrible day has been seared into our memory, and I hope Osama bin Laden's death brings some measure of comfort to the families of those killed on 9/11 - and to everyone across America who wanted to see him brought to justice...
President Obama has nominated four experienced, capable individuals to serve on his national security team and I strongly support his choices. Secretary Bob Gates has led the Department of Defense with distinction, and we will miss his leadership, courage and professionalism. I am confident that Leon Panetta will do an excellent job as his successor. I have known and worked with Leon for over 30 years in a number of capacities. During his service in Congress, as Director of the Office of Management and Budget, as the White House Chief of Staff, and as CIA Director, Leon has served our nation proudly, and I know that he will work tirelessly to strengthen our national security and support our troops.
While this marks the seventh straight quarter of economic growth, it is clear that more must be done to spur the economy and create jobs. To both keep the economy growing and speed up that growth, we cannot do anything that subjects the economy to unnecessary uncertainty. Yet Republicans continue to hold the economy hostage to their partisan and divisive agenda by threatening to default on our nations’ debts – despite the fact that much of the debt that’s been run up was as a result of their policies. I hope today’s news will prompt Republicans to stop putting our economy at risk. I also hope it will remind Republicans that we need to take action on job creation. It’s disappointing that after four months in the majority Republicans have failed to bring a single jobs bill to the Floor, despite their promises that it was their top priority.