Civil and Human Rights Coalition: Congress Should Pass American Jobs Act without Delay

Media 09.8,11

 Washington, D.C. – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the American Jobs Act, as proposed by President Obama before tonight’s joint session of Congress.

President Obama’s American Jobs Act contains a number of strong proposals that will help reduce unemployment in the short term, and put our nation on a more solid economic footing in the long term. They are proposals that can and should receive strong bipartisan support – even in today’s contentious political climate – and Congress should act on them without delay.

As our economy continues to struggle to regain its footing, President Obama’s proposal to put Americans back to work is particularly important to the communities that we represent. In July, the unemployment rate for African Americans and Hispanics stood at 15.9 percent and 11.3 percent, respectively — both well above the national average. Young Americans and those without a high school diploma also continue to struggle far more than other groups of Americans. Our nation cannot afford to have any group of people left behind.

The American Jobs Act targets the areas of our economy that have the most immediate impact on reducing unemployment: infrastructure, housing, education, neighborhood revitalization, tax relief, small businesses, and the safety nets that support struggling families and strengthen the economy for everyone. Now is the time for Congress and the administration to take bold, sweeping action to put Americans back to work.

Wade Henderson is president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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