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“MISSION NOT ACCOMPLISHED ON ECONOMY” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H5950 on July 19, 2004.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
MISSION NOT ACCOMPLISHED ON ECONOMY
(Mr. EMANUEL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, the Department of Labor reported that hourly earnings for workers fell 1.1 percent last month. That is the deepest drop since the depths of the recession in 1991, and it follows a 0.8 decrease in hourly wages in May.
With household income down nearly $1,500 the last 2 years, working families will have to work more hours just to lift their incomes to get back to where they were 3 years ago.
All the while, health care costs for a family of four have gone up from $6,500 to $9,000, college costs have gone up 26 percent in the last 3 years, household bankruptcies have risen by 33 percent in the last 2 years, $180 billion of net value has been erased from 401(k)s.
With a record like this, only this administration would hang the banner ``mission accomplished'' above the economy.
We can do better for the middle-class families who are facing a squeeze on college costs, health care, savings for their own personal retirement and hourly working income. It is time to turn this economy around to reflect the economic interests of middle-class families who have been faced with a squeeze on them, their family and their children as it relates to the costs.
It is time to put this administration's banner ``mission accomplished'' back where it came from.
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