[Pages H14851-H14862]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS HOUR

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Fudge) is recognized
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure again to be the anchor
for the Congressional Black Caucus Special Order Hour. I want to thank
our chairwoman, Barbara Lee, for talking with us the last week or two
about jobs and how important jobs is going to be for this nation.
I would at this time like to welcome and ask our Chair, the Honorable
Barbara Lee from California, to please now join me. She has directed us
in so many different ways over this year, I am just especially pleased
to be a part of this caucus.
Ms. LEE. Thank you very much.
Let me take a moment to thank Congresswoman Fudge for really
consistently raising the alarm and setting forth what the agenda is
every Monday night of the Congressional Black Caucus, which is an
agenda that speaks not only to the issues in communities of color in
the Congressional Black Caucus but issues which really will allow for
the American Dream to be real for all.
So thank you, Congresswoman Fudge, and I know you come from a State
where the unemployment rate is critical. People are suffering, housing
foreclosure rates are off the scale, and especially in the African
American community. Communities of color have been hardest hit, I know,
in Ohio. So thank you so much for your leadership.
Let me just talk for a few minutes about our economy. We all know
that the economic security of all Americans is extremely fragile.
Communities of color, especially the African American community and
Latino communities, have been disproportionately hit by this recession.
Last week, we released a letter which we forwarded to President Obama,
Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Miller which outlined our priorities as
members of the Congressional Black Caucus. We are continuing to work
with House leaders and the administration to ensure that our priorities
for job creation and economic growth are included in a jobs package
which should be finalized hopefully before Congress adjourns this year.
After the release of our letter, it was interesting to read some of
the bloggers, some of the pundits. They actually argued that targeted
relief was unneeded. And what we propose is not based on race. I just
want to be clear on that. It's based on need. We want to ensure that
our resources are targeted to areas of greatest hardship.
For example, here are some of the facts regarding the African
American community that are indisputable:
The unemployment rate for African Americans is nearly twice that of
whites. 49.4 percent of African Americans 16 to 19 years of age were
unemployed in November.
Nearly 28 percent of African Americans received food aid compared to
15 percent of Latinos and 8 percent of whites.
Recent African American college graduates are unemployed at higher
rates than their white counterparts and African American workers remain
unemployed an average of 5 weeks longer than the rest of Americans.
More than 24 percent of African Americans are living below the
poverty line and African Americans are 55 percent more likely to be
unemployed than white Americans.
African Americans have 2.3 times the infant mortality rate as non-
Hispanic whites. They are four times as likely to die as infants due to
complications related to low birthweight as compared to non-
Hispanic white infants.

[[Page H14852]]

Additionally, African Americans have shorter life spans.
The Congressional Black Caucus in its continued role as the
Conscience of the Congress is morally obligated to address these
systemic inequalities. Moreover, as members who represent so many
constituents who are disproportionately suffering, we have an
obligation as policymakers to write legislation to address these moral
gaps. That is why I convened a task force to develop targeted proposals
to address the acutely unemployed and the crisis in our communities and
throughout the country and also to spur job creation for the
chronically unemployed who happen to be black and Latino, many are
white, and many are Asian Pacific Islanders. This task force is chaired
by Congressman Emanuel Cleaver.
We must maintain support for vital extensions of unemployment
insurance and the COBRA health insurance subsidies as millions of
Americans continue to face job loss and extended periods of
unemployment. We also must continue to invest in education and job
training programs that fully support housing initiatives like the
Affordable Housing Trust Fund and the Neighborhood Stabilization
Program to bring some stability to our hardest hit communities.
We must raise and index the minimum wage so that every working person
can be assured that they will earn a wage that will lift them up and
out of poverty each and every year without having to rely on the
legislature to keep up with increases in the cost of living. We need to
ensure access to early education, guarantee a high quality public
education for every American student, and make sure that every working
family has access to the affordable, quality child care that they need
so that they can get to their jobs. Also, we need to reconnect with our
disconnected youth and the formerly incarcerated individuals with
increased support for job training and education for a new wave of
environmentally friendly and economically green jobs which are going to
be competitive but also which will require skills and the knowledge and
the qualifications to be able to be eligible for these jobs. That's why
we suggested a strong training program for these jobs. And we must
remove Federal barriers to provide for a second chance.
Last week, President Obama delivered a speech that was another sober
reminder of the important work we must do and we must continue to work
to grow our economy and create jobs. And we agree with the President
that support for small businesses, infrastructure investment and green
jobs is essential. We also believe that as Members of Congress we must
do more.
In order to do this, the Congressional Black Caucus has outlined four
areas of focus laid out in our letter. They are: Direct job creation
and training; infrastructure; small businesses; and State and local
relief. These areas are essential to create real and meaningful
economic opportunities to provide pathways out of poverty and
opportunities for all.
The Congressional Black Caucus remains committed to working with
President Obama and our congressional leadership--Speaker Pelosi and
Chairman Miller--to address the real economic crisis gripping our
nation. We will not shy away from the fight for targeted relief for the
chronically unemployed. In our letter, we suggested that there be a
requirement that the amounts appropriated shall allocate no less than
10 percent for assistance in qualified areas of economic hardship,
provided that for the purpose of these sections ``qualified areas of
economic hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering area
where 20 percent or more of the population is at or below the Federal
poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the official poverty line
defined by the Office of Management and Budget.
So let me be clear. What we propose is not based on race. It is based
on need. We are asking for no more or no less than what Wall Street
got. When there was a crisis on Wall Street, the Nation responded with
a sense of urgency. We're asking for that same sense of urgency to the
economic crisis that is gripping the hardest hit communities in
America. There was no problem when that money was targeted to Wall
Street. We're asking for the same targeted help for communities under
the gun. It would be a tragedy if the economy recovers and we leave
communities of color behind. We know money is going to be spent for
jobs. The question is, where will the money be spent? And we want to
make sure that we leave no community behind.
We will certainly become stronger as a nation if we ensure that a
jobs bill recognizes these huge disparities. I believe strongly that it
is our moral obligation to tackle poverty and unemployment and that in
the richest country in the world, we simply have no excuse not to do
so.
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that the members of the
Congressional Black Caucus are committed to continuing to work together
with our President and our congressional leaders to fix our economy and
to create jobs that address the true depth of this recession. There is
no question that by our collective efforts, we can make a real
difference in the lives of all Americans.
Thank you, Congresswoman Fudge, for your leadership and for giving me
a few minutes to speak tonight.
Ms. FUDGE. Thank you so much, Madam Chair. I want to thank you for
your call to action.

General Leave

Ms. FUDGE. I would ask, Madam Speaker, that Members have 5
legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material for the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, I would now like to yield to my friend and
colleague from Wisconsin, Representative Moore.

{time} 2015

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Well, thank you, gentlelady from Ohio for
yielding. And I can tell you that I found the remarks of our Chair
very, very compelling, and I guess I would agree with her. But I want
to add that while a couple of the categories of the Congressional Black
Caucus include infrastructure jobs and providing funds for local
programs, and while I believe that there is a general call for these
types of spending to stimulate our economy, I've heard on both sides of
the aisle calls for moneys to be used for infrastructure improvements.
I would say, with a qualification, that we need to make sure the
funds for infrastructure projects go directly to cities and counties
and allow those governments the flexibility to determine where the
greatest infrastructure needs are for their communities. I think that
while the Recovery Act saved between 600,000 and 1.6 million jobs, we
ought to learn from some of the mistakes that were made there, and I
think that the Congressional Black Caucus, in its wisdom, has pointed
out that we need to target our initiatives more and not just give the
moneys to those States that don't necessarily target those funds, and
make sure that it gets to the cities and States to work on
infrastructure programs that are needed.
The other qualification that I would give, and I think that the Chair
raised it in her comments, is that we need to make sure that the
infrastructure projects include those people that--that they target
them to those communities that are in need. And with that, I would say
that we need to target, we need to create programs for pre-
apprenticeship programs so that all of the moneys don't go to those,
all of it doesn't go to those laborers and those folks who are
typically building within our communities, those people who already
have some of the skill sets and education that can transition them into
the new energy-related initiatives, but that we ought to look at pre-
apprenticeship programs so that we can expose individuals with low
skill sets to other workers with family-supporting jobs by working
alongside with them nearby and on the same projects.
From those experienced workers, the pre-apprentice participants can
learn a pathway on how to move forward and develop those skill sets
that will move them up the career ladder, and at the same time, provide
them with sustainable income. To help enforce this, lady from Ohio, I
believe that contractors could be required to include a certain
percentage of pre-apprenticeship participants in their so-called
Federal

[[Page H14853]]

floor participation of women and minority workers that is already
required by executive order.
The reality is that we cannot afford to wait while the unemployment
rate for minorities continues to rise. Unemployment, reemployment is a
lagging indicator, and we can't wait until we reduce these numbers. The
unemployment rate among black males is currently 15.6 percent. And by
April of 2009, the gap between black and white men grew to a 13-year
high of 7 percent. The time is now. And I urge my colleagues to
consider all proposals that present the American people with a jobs
bill that not only creates jobs, but sets up training programs and
education programs that will help dislocated workers gain new skills
that will lead to sustainable employment.
Now, Madam Chairman, lady from Ohio, I have in fact, mentioned that
we need to work toward helping women and minorities get into these
infrastructure jobs and the new energy-related jobs. And there has been
feedback that we ought not target this specifically toward a particular
race, or perhaps toward a particular gender. But when you look at the
framework that the Congressional Black Caucus has laid out, that we
need to target it toward those census tracks where there is a dearth of
persons who have these kinds of jobs, or who are unemployed, we will
find, much to many people's amazement, that there's a great deal of
poverty among minorities, and there certainly is a great deal of
poverty among women who find themselves increasingly heading households
and providing the greatest source of income.
I thought it was very interesting that Maria Shriver recently did a
study that really elucidated the fact that women were providing a
greater and greater amount of the family income. And so this is
something that I think the Congressional Black Caucus is raising in a
very timely manner. And with that I would yield back to the gentlelady
from Ohio.
Ms. FUDGE. Thank you very, very much. At this time I want to--we've
got obviously a lot of Members here tonight. I thank you all so much
for being here. What I'd like to do just briefly is to have
Representative Jackson-Lee just introduce some points, and I'd like at
that point for Representative Ellison from Minnesota to join us in a
brief discussion. Representative Jackson-Lee from Texas.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Thank you very much to the distinguished
convener, Congresswoman Fudge from Ohio. I'm delighted to join the
chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, who has been just superb
on gathering us together on what is an enormous crisis. I'm going to
take the liberty of mixing a number of issues that I think are crucial
to the topic that addresses this question of dealing with homelessness
and hunger and joblessness. So I want to let the American people know
that when the Congressional Black Caucus set out its multipoint plan, a
letter that was sent to President Obama, interestingly enough, the
broadness of our concepts dealt with the most deprived and devastated
communities.
Those communities are American Indians, Native Americans. Those
communities are Hispanics, Latinos, African Americans, women. And I
evidence this by the article in The Washington Post on Saturday--it was
referred to in our recent caucus by one of my colleagues, ``Missing
More Than a Meal.'' And it cites the families, since they've been
publicly noted, of Christina Koch, it cites the family of Anajyha
Wright Mitchell, and it cites--these are children who are suffering
because parents don't have work.
It cites the family, I guess Christina Koch is here noted. And the
quote that I think is most potent says, ``This more nuanced picture is
emerging as the problem has become more widespread. With the economy
faltering, the number of youngsters living in homes without enough food
soared in 2008 from 13 million to nearly 17 million'' children in
America. If we can imagine--17 million children are going to bed or
waking up or going to school hungry because these breadwinners, single
parents, have no jobs.
And so my message today is that this is not a, if you will, an
opportunity to do good legislative work. This is a crisis of
insurmountable definition. This is at a pinnacle. This is the mountain
top, and there must be nothing that stops us from focusing on the
necessities of getting work. Let me lay out two or three points that I
think are interwoven into this circumstance and the arguments that I
think call for immediate action.
My focus has been in training, and I have, I think, a unique
perspective to work with those who may be on unemployment. You say,
well, they're on unemployment, leave them alone. Well, unemployment is
at different levels. If you happen to have been a person who had a
part-time job, you know the level of your unemployment. What I'd like
to do is to get those people out of those cyclical jobs, one job after
another, and put them in training, where they keep their unemployment
and they get a stipend so that the electricity can be turned on, the
food can be bought. And when they come out on the other end, one,
they've been kept out of the unemployment lines for a year, and they
come out as a nurses aid or a technician of some sort to get them
eligible for these jobs. I think that is imperative.

This weekend, I met with a nonprofit that has about $22 million in
weatherization dollars. I gathered small businesses who had never heard
of the opportunities for weatherization, which would create jobs in our
community. We also had the General Services Administration, and I think
it's important to note that that is such a complexity of getting jobs
to small businesses. What happens is they have what they call GSA
lists. I believe the Federal Government should be the great job maker,
and therefore, we should make easy the ability for small businesses to
access opportunities. So I want to see legislation that demystifies the
GSA list. I want to see legislation that tells the Federal Government
that they cannot have one narrow way of presenting jobs to America,
which is on the Web site.
If you have a job fair and you have the Federal Government there,
they don't bring anybody to hire someone on the spot. They tell you to
go to the Web site. Well, some people are homeless, are qualified, but
they're in a predicament. Many people don't have access to the Web
site. So these are simple administrative changes. Let me just add this
on the Small Business Finance and Investment Act that the President has
talked about.
One of the things in the meeting that I had over the weekend, my
friends, on weatherization--and I know they meant well. They came to
the meeting, and we had had a pre-meeting, and they came to the
meeting, 30 or 40 or 50 people in the room, and they said, Here's the
criteria: Your bank account must be secure, and must be, if you will,
flourishing. They said that you must have Department of Energy
experience, Congressman Payne. You must already have had that
experience. Some of my people in Texas, no disrespect, DOE? They
thought it was the Department of Education. Then they said that you
must have, no disrespect to them, you must have past experience. Well,
weatherization, these dollars are to build capacity. These dollars are
to get small businesses so that they can build capacity, so they can
become weatherizers in the future.
So we need to eliminate all these barriers of being able to work
under Federal dollars. They're taxpayers dollars. Don't tell them to
have Department of Energy experience. Tell them do they know how to put
a window in? Do they have enough money to pay workers? And so this is,
I think, a way of simplifying. I'm going to yield to the gentleman on
these two points if I might. This idea of giving money to States is an
abomination. Those of us who have diversity in state leadership,
different from the majority party here, see that money going, and we
never see it again in the hands of our constituents. That is a crisis.
And then I know that we are on jobs, but let me tell you that this
issue is, as I yield to the gentleman, we now have a health care bill
that is making its way through the Senate. In that bill, there is a
provision about promoting jobs in the health profession, scholarships
for doctors and nurses and physicians' assistants. I want to ask the
question: How much longer do we have to wait for the distinguished
Senator from Connecticut to block health care over and over again and
block jobs? And so I'm calling today for reconciliation. If that is a
procedure that can

[[Page H14854]]

get us moving so that people can have jobs and good health care, I
believe they're intertwined together. And with that I would say, this
is a time for a fight, a real fight.
And I'd be happy to engage the gentleman from Minnesota on some of
the very points that he has raised. And I am delighted to be part of
his legislation, which is a magnificent comprehensive jobs effort. And
I hope he'll join me in the training aspect as well.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I salute my colleagues with
the Congressional Black Caucus for tackling one of the most important
issues of the day facing not just African Americans and Latino
Americans, but all Americans. Let me share with you that in my
District, which covers parts of the Nation's fourth largest city,
Houston, TX, our unemployment rate stands at nearly 9 percent. While
this rate is more than a full percentage point below the national
average, we know at least anecdotally, the unemployment rates for
African Americans and Latinos in Houston are much higher.
Yet, this ``jobs disparity'' is not limited to Houston, data from the
Department of Labor indicates that African Americans throughout the
Nation today, in the era of President Obama, are still the last hired
and the first fired. Specifically, the Bureau of Labor Statistics
reports that the unemployment rate for African American men, 20 and
older, was 16.5 percent as of October of this year, and 12.4 percent
for African American women at the same age level.
Historically, experts have suggested that the anecdote to
unemployment is education. However, Labor Department statistics appear
to indicate that education, alone, does not level the playing field. In
fact, higher education amongst African Americans may strangely enough
even make it more difficult to obtain a job. For the first 10 months of
this year, as the recession has dragged on, unemployment for least
educated workers was the same for African- Americans and the general
population. However, in 2009, the unemployment rate for African
American college graduates 25 and older has been nearly twice that of
their Caucasian American male counterparts, 8.4 percent compared with
4.4 percent. According to a New York Times article published on
December 1, even African American college graduates with degrees from
Ivy League schools such as Yale, my alma mater, are finding themselves
in the ranks of the unemployed.
In addition to the racial dimension of this ``jobs disparity,'' the
recent economic downturn has focused a spotlight on a widening gap
between employment rates amongst men and women, particularly in the
African American community. It has been reported that since the
Nation's slowdown has been most pronounced in the manual labor sectors,
men with the lowest levels of education have suffered the brunt of the
unemployment crisis. CNN commentators recently described our current
economic condition as a ``man-cession.''
According to a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report, the
unemployment rate for African American men aged 20 and older was 4.1
percent higher than the unemployment rate for African American women of
the same age group, which was 12.4 percent. This gender unemployment
gap among African Americans mirrors a similar gap between Caucasian and
Latino Americans, thus demonstrating a nationwide trend.
Friends, we are in a battle for the hearts and souls of America,
literally and figuratively. To win this battle, we must take bold
action, like passing health care reform legislation in both chambers of
Congress. Madam Speaker, I concur with the assessment that the health
reform legislation voted out of this chamber last month in fact a
``jobs bill.''
As evidence of this, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that last
month's slight dip in the unemployment rate was caused by the fact that
for the third straight month, hospitals reported solid payroll
additions, with 6,800 new jobs created. In the first 11 months of this
year, the healthcare sector created 249,700 new jobs, an average of
22,700 new health care jobs each month, according to BLS' preliminary
data. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, overall 7.9
million people in America have lost their jobs, while the healthcare
sector has created 613,000 jobs.
In an article published in HealthLeaders Media, it was reported that
the healthcare sector--from hospitals, to physicians' offices, to
residential mental health homes, kidney dialysis centers, and blood and
organ banks--grew by 21,000 payroll additions in November and 613,000
payroll additions since the start of the recession in December 2007.
The home healthcare services sector reported 7,300 payroll additions in
November, BLS preliminary data show.
Recognizing this Madam Speaker, I am working with health care and
labor leaders to craft a jobs bill that create innovative new
retraining programs in partnership with our Historically Black Colleges
and Universities like Texas Southern University in my District or
Howard University, here in Washington, DC. These training programs
would focus on retooling workers for jobs in the growth sectors such as
health, biotech, and information technology. In addition to funding for
job training, I propose that we provide stipends to those who are
unemployed and who participate in training programs to assist them in
caring for their families. Along with this, my jobs bill would allow
unemployed workers participating in job retraining to continue
receiving unemployment benefits.
As a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, I am also working with
the DOJ to incorporate into my jobs legislation a measure that would
assist ex-offenders who are returning to the job market with strikes
against them. In addition to eliminating any barriers for ex-
offenders, I am also studying how we can encourage States to suspend
criminal prosecution of fathers and other parents who are delinquent in
child support so long as they are making good faith efforts to find
jobs in this difficult employment market.
Madam Speaker, I also propose that we task the Department of Labor to
expand its definition of the unemployed to cover not only
those currently receiving unemployment compensation, but also those who
have run out of unemployment insurance, known as the long term
unemployed. I suspect that if we had accurate data that captured the
entire unemployment picture, we would see jobless figures of upwards of
25-30 percent.

In addition, Madam Speaker, I also plan to propose we offer
assistance to the underemployed, including thousands of lawyers and
other professionals who work as part-timers or temp workers. Many of
these professionals split their time between working for others and
operating their own small firms. Furthermore, it has been noted that
while larger firms are enjoying the benefit of government funded
bailouts, our African American law firms, accounting firms, investment
banking firms and media outlets are being left out of the funds
directed at stimulating Wall Street. As Comcast and NBC Universal and
other firms seek government permission to merge, I intend to work with
these companies to ensure that our African American businesses are
included, not left out of the deal flow.
Another jobs initiative would focus on creating apprentice and
internship programs managed by cities and nonprofits like the Urban
League. This is a take off of a Department of Labor that was very
successful in the 1970s, which helped our Nation rebound from its last
recession.
Madam Speaker, during the 1930s-40s, the FDR administration developed
the Work Progress Administration, WPA. The WPA created thousands of
jobs and helped lift our Nation from depression. I am drafting
legislation that would create a WPA for the 21st century. This concept
involves providing stimulus dollars to several Federal agencies such as
Interior, Transportation, and HHS to fund large-scale projects.
Under my legislation, the new WPA would include modern-day
infrastructure and other projects including making broadband wireless
Internet service available for all Americans, not just in wealthier
suburban and downtown districts. In addition, we should create high-
speed rail and environmentally friendly highways and byways.
Finally, I plan that we work with HHS and the Energy Department to
build new Green Hospitals across the country. This project would ensure
that our Nation's healthcare facilities are themselves healthy.
Madam Speaker, many of our unemployed constituents in Houston and
around the Nation are asking us a simple question: how long, how long
before I can find a job? I say to them, not long . . . help is on the
way. With the introduction and passage of jobs legislation offered by
myself and the rest of the Congressional Black Caucus, help for the
unemployed and underemployed, help for small businesses, is on the way.
I appreciate the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus on this
issue and dedicate to my constituents in the 18th Congressional
District of Texas that it can count on me to work with my colleagues to
deliver in this time of great need. How long, not long, with the help
of the Almighty and hard work of my colleagues, help is on the way.
Mr. ELLISON. Let me just say that I just want to tell a story. You
know, I was home this weekend, and I was walking along one of the
trails that we have in Minneapolis. You know, we've got a lot of parks
in Minneapolis. It was cold, and I wanted to get my legs stretched from
working so hard last week, so I was walking a long one of our many
trails. And I decided to sit down at a park bench, and it looked like a
pretty old-looking park bench. You could tell the rust was there.
And when I sat down I noticed that it was sturdy. And we sat there
talking to a few friends. But when I got up to

[[Page H14855]]

leave, I noticed that there was a little plaque about the size of this
phone, and it said on it, WPA, 1934. For 75 years that park bench had
been sitting there. For 75 years, that thing has been giving comfort to
people who are just walking by. But 75 years ago we had a job crisis
then. And our country, our Congress, responded to the needs of
unemployed Americans.

{time} 2130

We need to respond to the needs of Americans today as people are
putting pressure on food shelves, as people don't have money for heat,
for lights, as folks who had two and three jobs that were part time now
have lost them; now they have no lifeline. We've got to respond to a
generation of Americans looking for work today. And where there's extra
hurt, there needs to be extra help.
And that means that the Congressional Black Caucus--and other
caucuses as well--are focusing on a targeted-jobs bill calling for jobs
now, calling attention to an appalling condition where people are
unemployed at rates of 25, 30 percent in some communities.
I just want to ask the gentlelady--and I'll ask any of my colleagues.
I like the dialogue. I'm not going to give a 20-minute speech.
I will ask the gentlelady, what have you heard as you were standing
in the grocery store line? What have you heard when you were walking
around your parks in places like Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Ohio,
Cleveland? What have you heard? What have you gone through? And what
are your folks telling you? Don't give me a bunch of stats. Tell me
what your people are feeling. I'd like to know that.
I yield back to the gentlelady.
Ms. FUDGE. Thank you very much.
Does the gentlelady from Wisconsin or Texas or California wish to
respond?
Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. I just want to mention to the gentleman from
Minnesota, we're neighbors in the Midwest, and of course you know there
have been hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs that have been
lost in the Midwest over the last 30 years. But since 2008, we have
lost more jobs during 2008 than in any--for the last 70 years that
these data and statistics have been collected. And so that, I think, is
really telling about the attrition of jobs.
I hear people often talking about how horrific the 10.4 percent
unemployment rate is. If there were a 10.4 percent unemployment rate
within the confines of the city of Milwaukee, we would be dancing in
the street with delight.
We have a researcher named Marc Levine from the University of
Wisconsin, Milwaukee who has kept data of the discouraged workers--
those people who are not officially unemployed because they're no
longer standing there, discouraged workers. And among white men in my
community, we have a 17 percent unemployment rate. And we have a 40 to
50 percent unemployment rate among white men, and of course a
staggering statistic, about 30 percent among Hispanic men. But about 17
percent among white men in our community. So it's really a crisis of
gargantuan proportions.
Mr. ELLISON. Will the gentlelady yield?
Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Yes.
Mr. ELLISON. Have you are ever talked to somebody who's been
unemployed for 12 months, 18 months? What does that do to their psyche?
What does that do to their spirit? What does that do to their level of
joy?
Can anybody answer the question for me?
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. If the gentleman will yield.
Mr. ELLISON. I will yield.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. You are right. And statistics, of course,
help to lay the framework for how devastating it is for so many of us
who are listening may not have the broadness of it because our
constituency goes across all lines.
And what I'll tell you is that people are more and more going to
places where there are mass feasts and feeding. And when you go among
those people, you hear the stories of mothers and fathers who have lost
work. There are now more families coming into these broad feasts or
open feeding that we've had. I just participated in one yesterday in my
district. And you see the families with little children who you know
are dependent--and you made a very good point. I heard it on this
floor. These people may have had two and three jobs. That's the kind of
person we're looking at when we see these parents whose children are
now going to bed hungry, 17 million across America. And what they're
saying is that not only can they not make ends meet, but they can't
find the ends for the means.
So we have to bypass State governments to get funds directly into the
hands of these individuals by way of work. They want work. We've got to
break down the attitudes about not building capacity and small
businesses, because they could hire these very mothers to do minimum
work on weatherization. They could be skilled. We have to pass the
health care bill that gives us the kind of work that is available for
these mothers.
And I will conclude on this. Do you know, Congresswoman Fudge,
because you're from this area, there is some, I want to call it
silliness--and I ask deference for any disrespect that using the word
``silly'' on this floor might suggest. But we put a tax on steel that
China is bringing in and, okay, that's by America. Then we have black
businesses who are in the business of transporting pipe or giving pipe
to various companies--and when I say ``pipe,'' giving steel to various
companies, steel pipe known as oil company tubular goods, pipes. And
can you believe that these small businesses that have workers and truck
drivers, minority companies that transport this steel, cannot buy any
steel from American companies.
So what I would say to the gentlemen, Yes, I hear the pain in our
houses of worship. I hear the pain in grocery stores, and I hear the
pain when we go to these mass feedings that more people are coming to
now in more numbers than I have ever seen before. It just reemphasizes
the fact: Are we going to answer the pain, the call that is being made
upon us? And I would hope the Congressional Black Caucus will be front
and center on doing that.
Ms. FUDGE. We have been joined by another one of our colleagues,
Laura Richardson from California. I'd like to yield to the
Congresslady.
Ms. RICHARDSON. I thank the gentlelady for yielding. I especially
want to thank our chairwoman, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, and
Congresswoman Fudge, who's been leading, really, this delegation on an
hourly basis weeks on end whether the issues are popular or not.
Tonight I'd like to talk about small business and the impacts of
unemployment and what it means to our country and really where the jobs
are in this country and why we must address small business.
The unemployment crisis is hurting every region of our country--not
just one State, east coast, west coast. It's everywhere. In the
district that I represent, unemployment is ranging anywhere between 15
and 21 percent. That's well above the national unemployment rate, and
clearly we can no longer stand by idly waiting for someone, even if
it's in our other body, to act.
The American people need jobs now. They've already asked it, they've
already helped to fund it, but unfortunately the jobs have not been
seen on Main Street and on the side streets where many of our
constituents live. So let's talk a little bit about small business and
why they're so important in this equation.
There are 26.8 million small businesses in the United States
accounting for more than 99.7 percent of all employer firms. Those are
regular people like you and me who are trying to survive who didn't get
a bailout 6 months ago.

Small businesses employ just over half of all of our private sector
employees. And likewise, in the second largest district in this United
States--which is California, where I'm from--small businesses are an
integral part of our economy comprising 90 percent of all of the
businesses in our State. More than 50 percent of the employees in
California work for small businesses, and there's an estimated 3.7
million small businesses in California.
So why would you ask that I would even talk about that? Let's talk
about women and how women are impacted with small business.
Privately held, women-owned businesses in California, where I'm from,

[[Page H14856]]

generate more than $406 billion in sales and employ over 2.8 million
people. And when you look at those particular figures and then you
break it down to minorities, minorities even further own 4.1 million
firms and generate $694 billion and employ 4.8 million people.
So what is the problem and what is it that I brought to the CBC to
contribute in terms of a proposal of what we could do to help? We could
help small businesses, and we already have the current framework to do
so. It's called the SBA. But unfortunately, as with many government
agencies, just because something exists doesn't mean it should stay
that way. We can always work to make it better.
So when we consider the SBA that was really established in 1953,
there are changes that have to occur. And the one that I'd like to talk
about tonight is not all of the wonderful training, not all of
counseling--all of that we desperately need--but there's a program
today that can change and it can be done now. That's our section 8
services.
Section 8 was established to include access to business development
opportunities for businesses within that particular financial area, but
there's a problem with it. As far back as 1992, magazines and other
individuals have highlighted the problems with the section 8 program.
The problem is, instead of creating multimillion-dollar business
success stories, the section 8 program consistently graduates companies
before they're ready to flourish. It gives them a short period of
time--7 years, 9 years--to begin to utilize contracts, and then it
throws them out without an umbrella or without a safety net.
I would say if we could do a safety net for some of these other Wall
Street firms and financial industries, why aren't we holding our hands
out to small business?
This has led to a surprising result that many of us have seen, that
companies who were able and who were succeeding with the section 8
program, when they were then bumped out, of course, what were the
results?
In 1991, SBA studied 645 former 8(a) companies that were doing fine,
but prior to them being kicked off, after that point, 42 percent fell
through. We can stop that, and we can change it today by four simple
proposals that I have for you.
I propose that we reform and modernize the section 8 program to help
more small disadvantaged business enterprises, DBEs, to remain in
business and to hire more workers--we were talking about over 4 million
workers--by doing the following:
One, extend at least 2 years the 9-year program in which section 8(a)
certifies businesses to participate.
Number two, we can reinstate those who already did their 7 or 9
years, and they're kind of at the brink, and with a couple more years
of help, they could be back on a level ground. We should extend their
time as well.
And then thirdly, we should create a new program that's kind of in
the middle ground, not of a major company that's bringing in billions
of dollars, but clearly a small business that's hiring 10 people, 20
people in your neighborhood. We need for them to exist.
And finally, we should consider that under this program, eligible
companies who are able to participate, we should really grow that
revenue, because what was $100,000 yesterday that somebody made is not
nearly enough in terms of keeping a viable company going.
So, in closing, what I'd like to say to our Chair, Ms. Barbara Lee,
and also Ms. Fudge from Ohio, I applaud the efforts that we've taken.
The American people want to know what we're doing. What we're doing is
caucuses like the CBC are coming together. We're meeting. We're talking
about direct jobs. We're talking about keeping teachers and police
officers employed. We're talking about helping small business owners
stay alive. That's what we're doing, and we're bringing those proposals
to the Speaker, to the President of the United States, and we're asking
them to act now.
We're ready to vote. We're ready to do our part. But we need to make
sure that these dollars go to the American people, which is where they
started from.
Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, my good friend and colleague,
Representative Richardson from California, did bring up some
interesting points, and I can assure you that the passion she showed
today is the same passion that the rest of this caucus has, and that is
why, in fact, our caucus did indeed send a letter to the Speaker of the
House to talk about our jobs initiatives, what we believe should be in
a jobs bill.
Congressional Black Caucus of the 111th United States
Congress,
Washington, DC, December 9, 2009.
Hon. Barack Obama,
President of the United States,
The White House,
Washington, DC.
Dear President Obama: As you work with House and Senate
Leadership to structure the jobs package, we respectfully
request that you include and prioritize the following
proposals in the legislation:

Direct Job Creation and Training

Utilize language that states that the $139.3 billion of
unobligated funds authorized for expenditure by the Troubled
Asset Relief Program should be reprogrammed to be used to
create jobs for United States citizens.
Reauthorize language from the Humphrey Hawkins Act, Public
Law 95-523, with a new provision establishing a ``Green Jobs
and Training Trust Fund.'' The trust fund would be funded by
a financial transaction tax similar to that proposed by
Congressman DeFazio. If the targets established in the
Economic Reports mandated in Title I are not met, funds would
automatically be disbursed from two separate trust funds to a
list of: (1) training programs enumerated in the bill; and
(2) a direct public sector jobs program. The training
programs would include, amongst other programs:
The Department of Labor's Green Construction Careers
Demonstration Program (not yet authorized).
The Department of Energy's Labor's Efficiency and Renewable
Energy Worker Training Program (EEREWTP) (authorized in the
Green Jobs Act of 2007)--specifically, the Pathways Out of
Poverty Demonstration Program.
The Department of Energy's Weatherization Program.
The Job Corps Program.
Grant programs that promote state and local hiring of
police, firemen, and other public servants.
Additional programs identified by the Secretary of Labor
that: (1) promote energy efficiency consistent with the
EEREWTP Program or promote clean energy creation; and (2)
provide sustainable employment in the public or private
sector.
The government would provide grants to states and
municipalities to set up ``Green Corps, ``Urban Corps,'' and/
or a form of expanded Americorps. These jobs would be low
human capital jobs where the ratio of government spending to
job creation would be very low. Some activities these
individuals would engage in include:
Home and public building weatherization;
Greening of public spaces;
Municipal waste and recycling;
Public building solar installation and maintenance;
Forestry; and
Tutoring or mentoring.
Utilize language throughout the bill that will provide a 10
percent for areas with high levels of poverty such as: Of the
amounts appropriated in this [section] the following projects
or programs, shall allocate at least 10 percent for
assistance in qualified areas of economic hardship: Provided,
that for the purposes of this [Title/Section], In general,
the term ``qualified area of economic hardship'' means any
census tract or block numbering area, where 20% or more of
the population is at or below the federal poverty line. The
term ``poverty line'' means the official poverty line defined
by the Office of Management and Budget.

Job Creation and Training

Increase funding for Youthbuild and the 2010 Youth Summer
Jobs Program, to allow for the employment of 5 million teens,
with a requirement that of the amounts appropriated in this
[section] the following projects or programs, shall allocate
no less than 10 percent for assistance in qualified areas of
economic hardship: Provided, that for the purposes of this
[Title/Section], In general, the term ``qualified area of
economic hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering
area, where 20% or more of the population is at or below the
federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the
official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and
Budget.
Creation of a federal assistance program through the
Department of Labor to prepare economically disadvantaged
unskilled adults or adults needing retraining for full-time
jobs, for a period of 12 to 24 months in public agencies or
not-for-profit organizations. The intent is to impart a
marketable skill that will allow participants to move to an
unsubsidized.
Fully fund the Green Jobs Act, the Energy Efficiency and
Conservation Block Grant Program, as authorized by the Energy
and Independence Security Act, of the amounts appropriated in
this [section] the following projects or programs, shall
allocate no less than 10 percent for assistance in qualified
areas of economic hardship: Provided, that for the purposes
of this [Title/Section], In general, the term ``qualified
area of economic hardship'' means any census tract or block
numbering area, where 20% or more of the population is at or
below the federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line''
means the

[[Page H14857]]

official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and
Budget.
Increase funding for the National Service Corps programs
with an emphasis on current college students and recent
college graduates.
Direct funding to career colleges, technical, and trade
schools, community colleges, and universities to train
Americans in high-growth industries and healthcare
professions, particularly focused on entry-level training and
nursing programs, which allow participants to be able to
continue to collect unemployment benefits through the period
of training and/or allow them to receive a livable wage
stipend during the period of training, with a requirement
that of the amounts appropriated in this [section] the
following projects or programs, shall allocate no less than
10 percent for assistance in qualified areas of economic
hardship: Provided, that for the purposes of this [Title/
Section], In general, the term ``qualified area of economic
hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering area,
where 20% or more of the population is at or below the
federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the
official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and
Budget.
Increase funding for High Growth Industries and/or grants
for job creation in occupations identified by the Department
of Labor as ``the ``fastest growing occupations and
occupations projected to have the largest numerical increases
in employment between 2006 and 2016,'' with a requirement
that of the amounts appropriated in this [section] the
following projects or programs, shall allocate no less than
10 percent for assistance in quaffed areas of economic
hardship: Provided, that for the purposes of this [Title/
Section], In general, the term ``qualified area of economic
hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering area,
where 20% or more of the population is at or below the
federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the
official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and
Budget.
Increase funding for Employment and Training
Administration, Training and Employment Services, with a
requirement to that of the amounts appropriated in this
[section] the following projects or programs, shall allocate
no less than 10 percent for assistance in qualified areas of
economic hardship: Provided, that for the purposes of this
[Title/Section], In general, the term ``qualified area of
economic hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering
area, where 20% or more of the population is at or below the
federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the
official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and
Budget.
Increase funding for Welfare to Work program.
Increase funding for the Second Chance Act (replaced and
expanded Prisoner Reentry Initiative) and include language
that eliminates or mitigates the bar on ex-offenders from
receiving Federal financial aid programs, job-related
training, public benefits, and public housing.
Increase funding for pre-apprenticeship programs and the
National Apprenticeship programs through the Department of
Labor, Employment and Training Administration, with a
requirement to that of the amounts appropriated in this
[section] the following projects or programs, shall allocate
no less than 10 percent for assistance in qualified areas of
economic hardship: Provided, that for the purposes of this
[Title/Section], In general, the term ``qualified area of
economic hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering
area, where 20% or more of the population is at or below the
federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the
official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and
Budget. Language modification to allow for Americans to
continue to collect unemployment benefits and/or TANF
benefits while in an authorized job training program for up
to 12 months.
Expand the Title V Senior Community Service Employment
Program (SCSEP) under the Older Americans Act to provide job
training and employment for older job seekers by lowering it
to age 50, eliminate requirement of unemployment--allowing
participants to be underemployed, and changing the cap to 35
weekly hour cap employment allowing.

Infrastructure

Provide for Hope VI, green projects through the Energy
Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant.
Rehabilitation of housing through Neighborhood
Stabilization Fund which provides for additional construction
jobs.
Funding for the Department of Transportation-Federal
Highway Administration to allow state and local agencies to
move forward on infrastructure projects, of the amounts
appropriated in this [section] the following projects or
programs, shall allocate no less than 10 percent for
assistance in qualified areas of economic hardship:
Provided, that for the purposes of this [Title/Section],
In general, the term ``qualified area of economic
hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering area,
where 20% or more of the population is at or below the
federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the
official poverty line defined the Office of Management and
Budget.
Discretionary funding for Clean Energy technology and
manufacturing through the Department of Energy, with a
requirement that of the amounts appropriated in this
[section] the following projects or programs, shall allocate
no less than 10 percent for assistance in qualified areas of
economic hardship: Provided, that for the purposes of this
[Title/Section], In general, the term ``qualified area of
economic hardship'' means any census tract or block numbering
area, where 20% or more of the population is at or below the
federal poverty line. The term ``poverty line'' means the
official poverty line defined by the Office of Management and
Budget.

Small Business

Language modification to allow the Community Development
Financial Initiatives Fund to access capital markets via the
Department of Treasury Guaranteed Bond Issuance program.
Expand and expedite the Small Business Administrations
Community Express Loan program by reducing the interest rate
to 1 percent, particularly focused on areas where local
unemployment rates exceed the state and/or high rates of
long-term unemployed.
Long-term extension of Build America Bonds, to result in
liquidity and a lower interest rate.
Reform and modernize the Section (8) program to assist more
small and disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE) remain in
business and hire more workers by doing the following:
Extend by at least 2 years the 9-year period in which
Section 8(a) certified businesses can participate in the
program.
Reform the Section 8(a) program to permit reinstatement of
companies who were graduated from the program after nine
years.
Reform the Section 8 program to create a new program for
small businesses that did not qualify for admission to the
8(a) program or were graduated from the program before the 9
year period expired because their financial resources
exceeded maximum limits. Under this new program, an eligible
company would be permitted to participate for a period of 7
years or until its financial resources exceeded 300 percent
of the maximum amount allowable under Section 8(a).
Language modification to the Workforce Investment Act
performance measures in entrepreneurial training to allow for
microenterprises to receive Self Employment Training and
Technical Assistance from Workforce Investment Boards with a
``successful/positive outcome'' in order to support and spur
further growth of small businesses/microenterprises.
Language to support an appropriation to support payment of
Black Farmers claims.

State/Local Fiscal Relief

With each provision, we would urge you to direct funding
through the federal agencies directly to localities: county/
city/municipality/college/university or nonprofit
organizations, rather than through the state, to be quickly
disbursed and used by most economically depressed
communities.
Our Nation has suffered substantial unemployment and
underemployment over a prolonged period which has imposed
significant economic and social costs, particularly in
communities of color. We appreciate your attention to these
prescriptive measures and look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Rep. Barbara Lee,
Chairwoman, Congressional Black Caucus.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver,
Chairman, CBC Taskforce on Economic Recovery.

Ms. FUDGE. At this time, I'd like to bring up a colleague, Donald
Payne from New Jersey. Representative Payne has joined us many
evenings, and it's a pleasure to yield some time to him this evening.
Mr. PAYNE. Thank you very much.
Let me certainly begin by thanking the gentlelady from California,
our distinguished Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus,
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, for anchoring this evening's Special Order
on job creation. And Ms. Lee continues her diligence in addressing
issues that confront our Nation in general, but in particular, the
African American community, which has been a laudable effort, and let
me again commend her for her diligence.
Let me also commend the gentlelady from Cleveland who comes to us,
Representative Fudge, as a former mayor, and I look at her as the mayor
of the CBC.

{time} 2045

Why would I call her the mayor of the CBC? Well, because a mayor has
to have hands on. The mayor has to deal with all the issues. The mayor
has to listen to see what's going on in education and jobs. The mayor
is concerned about health care. And it's where the rubber meets the
road. And you need someone who has the understanding and the
perseverance. And so I would like to commend you again for the
outstanding work that you do.
To the Chair of this important job creations committee, Congressman
Emanuel Cleaver from Kansas City, he does an outstanding job in this.
Since the time is relatively late, we have several more Members, it's
a good thing to do, when you have too many, therefore I will cut my
remarks short. But let me just say in November we approved a historic
bill to reform our

[[Page H14858]]

health insurance system to expand access to affordable quality health
care for nearly every American. The Affordable Health Care for
Americans Act offers security and stability to all Americans, reduces
costs and improves our choice.
Let me say that you cannot hold a secure job if the fundamentals are
not there for everyone to be able to benefit. And one of the great
provisions in the health bill is that there will be an emphasis on job
creation because of the expanded health care that will be provided.
After a White House jobs summit on December 3 and a trip to
Pennsylvania to meet with citizens of this country who have been
affected by this economy, on December 8, as you know, President Obama
announced steps that he believed should be at the heart of our efforts
to put Americans back to work, to get businesses hiring again. I
commend the President's focus on small businesses, infrastructure, and
clean energy to provide an influx of jobs in this economy, as well as
his emphasis to not just create jobs in the short run, but to also
shift America away from consumption-driven growth to a focus on
enhancing the competitiveness of American businesses, encouraging
investment and promoting exports.
I would, however, push further and urge the President and my
colleagues in Congress to expand our focus to address the portion of
our population who were already in vulnerable economic positions before
the onset of this recession. Prior to December, 2007, the African
American unemployment rate was 8.9 percent. In this economy, it has
climbed to a disproportionate 15.6 percent.
Madam Speaker, in the great State of New Jersey, unemployment has
reached 9.7 percent. However, the largest concentration of unemployed
falls in the cities of Trenton and Newark, New Jersey, where I live,
where a large portion of our State's minorities live, and the
unemployment rate surpasses 14 percent. While New Jersey reached its
highest level of unemployment in 34 years, Newark, a part of my
district, has experienced the same rate of over 14 percent since 1994.
These startling facts call attention to the need to not simply
restore our Nation to its pre-recession state, but to create a
stronger, more inclusive plan to address the intersection of
unemployment and poverty, and develop long-term strategies to confront
this.
Madam Speaker, I believe that the key to our strategy is education. I
urge the development of a multipronged approach not only aimed at
creating new jobs but infused with education and job training. We must
work diligently and deliberately to harness the skills of all people.
The absence of this particular focus will cause severe and lasting
damage to generations of Americans, particularly of color.
And so therefore, as I just shorten my remarks, I think that
education, training, and expansion of current programs like the Job
Corps, where we have an infrastructure, where we can have intensive
training, where we can have health care, where we can go on to have
GEDs, would be one way to create jobs and train people.
I have much more, and I would hope that we can have the remainder put
in the Record. But I will yield back the balance of my time in
deference to my colleagues.
Madam Speaker, let me begin by thanking the gentlelady from
California, our distinguished Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus,
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, for anchoring this evening's Special Order
on job creation. Her continued diligence in addressing issues that
confront our nation, in general, but in particular the African
Americans communities and she has been laudable, and let me commend you
again for your diligence.
Let me congratulate the gentlelady from Cleveland, Representative
Fudge, who comes to the Congress as a former major and knows well of
everyday problems, where the rubber meets the road. Let me also
congratulate Representative Emanuel Cleaver from Kansas City for his
leadership as Chairman of the CBC jobs task force.
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to join the other Members tonight to talk
about job creation, specifically in the African American community.
In November, we approved a historic bill to reform the health
insurance system to expand access to affordable, quality health care to
nearly every American. The Affordable Health Care for America Act
offers security and stability to all Americans, reduces costs, improves
coverage and preserves our choice of doctors, hospitals and health
plans, BUT holding a secure job is the foundation of many of the
provisions decided upon in the bill. That being said, in addition to
the nation's 10 percent unemployment rate, it is clear why the
President has placed strong emphasis on job creation in the past few
days. After a White House Job Summitt on December 3rd and a trip to
Pennsylvania to meet with citizens of this country who have been
affected by this economy, on December 8th, as you know, President Obama
announced steps that he believes should be at the heart of our efforts
to help put Americans back to work and get businesses hiring again. I
commend the President's focus on small businesses, infrastructure, and
clean energy to provide an influx of jobs in this economy, as well as
his emphasis to not just create jobs in the short run, but to also
shift America away from consumption-driven growth to a focus on
enhancing the competitiveness of America's businesses, encouraging
investment, and promoting exports.
I would, however, push further and urge the President and my
colleagues in Congress to expand our focus to address the portion of
our population who were already in vulnerable economic positions before
the onset of this recession. Prior to December 2007, the African
American unemployment rate was 8.9 percent. In this economy, it has
climbed to a disproportionate 15.6 percent.
Madam Speaker, in the great state of New Jersey, unemployment has
reached 9.7 percent; however, the largest concentration of unemployment
falls in the cities of Trenton and Newark, where a large portion of the
state's minorities live and unemployment has surpassed 14 percent.
While NJ has reached its highest level of unemployment in 34 years,
Newark--part of my district--has experienced the same rate of 14.3
percent as recent as 1994.
These startling facts call attention to the need, to not simply
restore our nation to its state pre-recession, but to create a
stronger, more inclusive plan to address the intersection of
unemployment and poverty and develop long-term strategies.
Madam Speaker, I believe that the key to this strategy is education!
I urge the development of a multipronged approach, not only aimed at
creating new jobs but infused with education and job training. We must
work diligently and deliberately to harness the skills of all people!
The absence of this particular focus will cause severe and lasting
damage to generations of Americans, particularly those of color, and
the future of our workforce.
Madam Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both
sides of the aisle to develop policies that will expand our focus to
offer additional support for communities that have long been affected
by high unemployment rates.
With that, thank you once again, Congresswoman Lee for the
outstanding work that you are doing.
Ms. FUDGE. Thank you so much. And I want to commend Representative
Payne, not just for his words, but the fact that he is indeed the
historian of our caucus. And it's just always a pleasure to have him
put things in perspective for us. Thank you so much.
At this time, I would like to yield to our friend and colleague from
Georgia, David Scott, Representative Scott.
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Thank you so much, Ms. Fudge. I just want to
say how proud we all are of you and your leadership that you are
providing on the floor for this hour, that you have been going forward
with all of this year. And I certainly want to single out for special
praise our distinguished chairlady of the Congressional Black Caucus.
The good Lord has surely brought us the right person at the right time
to lead this caucus in a very serious sea of turbulent waters. And so,
Ms. Barbara Lee, I just want to personally thank you for that
leadership as we go forward.
Let me start at the very beginning, because I think that we need to
understand what we are referencing when we

[[Page H14859]]

use the words ``targeting'' and ``focus.'' Let me just say clearly,
yes, we are the Congressional Black Caucus. But we are talking about
targeting and focusing our efforts on the basis of need, no more, no
less, than what they did for Wall Street. You all may remember, I serve
on the Financial Services Committee, and it was Secretary Paulson, the
Republican Secretary of the Treasury, who rushed over here to Capitol
Hill with just two pieces of paper, two pieces of paper. And said that
the sky is falling down on Wall Street, and we needed to target and
focus $700 billion or $800 billion he said, on Wall Street.
And then he went on to say, not only targeted to Wall Street, but
targeted to specifically 12 to 15 bank and financial houses. Targeted,
because that was where the source of the problem he felt. And he
analyzed that source of the problem by saying it's because the credit
markets are frozen. There is no lending. And we have to move.
Well, we sent him back, and we said, well, we can't do that; we have
to have something more moving. And he came back and said, Well, let's
target it to troubled asset relief, or TARP, so that we can relieve
these troubled assets with these financial institutions. Again,
targeted. The point I'm trying to make is that we know the value of
targeting where the problem is.
All we are simply saying here is we have troubled assets. What more
troubled assets in our financial institution can we have than the job
and our homes? And it is more troubled assets than the 12 or 15 houses
to unfreeze the credit, which we did, and which we moved to. We must do
the same here. We are advocating strongly that we take the remaining
$200 billion of this TARP money and focus it on where these troubled
assets are now, jobs, and to saving our homes. This is what the
American people want and need.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me just say, we have a soaring economy. But
we must understand that it, too, is targeted. We have roughly 300
million people in this country. Eighty percent of those are targeted at
the bottom one-third of the economic wealth stream of our economy. That
means roughly 80 percent of that 300 billion, that is 270 million
people, are targeted there.
And I bring that point up because, simply, our economy runs on mass
consumption. Stores require spending. And it means that you need as
many people going in that store buying that carton of milk or going
into that auto dealership buying that car as possible. That is why this
effort now--we've taken $700 billion, we've targeted the top; we need
to take this $200 billion and target it at the bottom, and target it
for jobs, and target it related to housing because they are so
interconnected.
The most immediate thing we can do is what, again, we in the
Congressional Black Caucus, 10 of us stood firm on the Financial
Services Committee and said, no, no. No more. You're going to have to
respond to this. If we did no more than anchor our movement in terms of
providing moneys and target it into those areas that have high
foreclosure, high closed and abandoned buildings and homes, and target
money into those communities to fix up those homes, get them back on
the market, that will save the housing prices and stop them from
falling but will also create jobs in the most meaningful way for the
very people we are trying to target it for. We need to also target
money to help people who are losing their jobs to stay in their homes.
And secondly, we've got to target jobs to those people who no matter
what you say about a rising tide lifts all boats, it doesn't. Many
people are left behind. And nowhere is that more specific than in the
African American community of African American males.
I will just recall in my closing to you this evening, we realized
this, and we put the Manpower Training Act, and we targeted that. We
realized this point, and we put forth what was known as the
opportunities and industrialization centers into these communities
where we paid for the salaries and the training, and for the
individuals to go on to the jobs so that they not only are trained for
the jobs that are existing, but they are actually placed in those jobs.
There are new jobs coming, and they've got to be trained for them.

Madam Chairwoman, I just want to thank you again. I appreciate this
opportunity, and again, I'm very proud of my colleagues and what we are
doing. Thank you.
Ms. FUDGE. Thank you very, very much, Representative Scott. We so
much appreciate your thoughtfulness, quite frankly, and showing a real
difference between what is happening on Wall Street and Main Street.
I would like to now, Madam Speaker, yield to our chair, our Chairman
Rangel, to give us some words of wisdom which I'm sure he is going to
do this evening.
(Mr. RANGEL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. RANGEL. Once again, I want to thank Judge Congresswoman Fudge for
taking the time out as well as our leader, Barbara Lee, for showing the
depth of commitment that we in the Congressional Black Caucus have not
only for our communities, which traditionally, historically have borne
the blunt of historic economic setbacks, but for the entire country,
because in my experience, it appears as though our great Nation's
national security is at stake.
We can talk about the terrorists, we can talk about those that are
out to destroy our way of life, but we can destroy our own way of life
because what made America great is not the bankers. It is those people
that thought in this great country that they could aspire, that they
could work hard and there would be no limits on what they can achieve.
But unemployment is more than a statistic. Loss of a job means more
than losing your house and losing your health care. It also means
losing your dignity. And I cannot foresee how it's possible to have an
economic recovery and have a jobless state of the economy. It seems to
me that more important than the exchange of stock showing that America
is willing to take risk is, what does America think about its hope, its
future for its children? It seems to me that what makes America so
great is what we think we can achieve. And whether you talk about
current unemployment, you have to consider those people who had no hope
before the setback. What happens to a person that is not included in
the statistic? What happens to a person that knows there's no job at
the unemployment office? What happens to a person that has given up
hope?
Even if the so-called economy recovers, where will their will be to
exercise the skill that perhaps has been lost? And how do you regain
hope once that is lost.

{time} 2100

And so what I hope that we understand as a Nation is that it is not
just those who are suffering out there, who are losing sometimes their
family as well as their jobs, but it happens to be something that's
going to affect the well-off, because the more we expand those people
who have no money to spend, the more our small business people have no
reason to be in existence.
And so we can talk about the stock market, but the world is not
turning on our stock market; it's turning on the will of the American
people. Internationally, if we begin to look, as we have in so many
communities, as a developing nation, not having the will, not having
the resources, not being able to feed our children, not being able to
provide health care for our children, what is the difference in a
mother or father's heart whether you are in a developing country,
whether it's in the Middle East, whether it's in Africa; the love for
your children has to be the same no matter what country you're in. If
you can't feed your child, if you can't encourage your child, if you
can't educate your child, if you can't point out how great your country
is in terms of opportunity, then what makes us different as a great
nation from those who are trying to achieve economic leverage?
And so, even though the hour is late, and I am late in getting here,
make no mistake about it that you will be hearing from the
Congressional Black Caucus every day, whether it's going to be on the
floor, whether it's going to be in our districts, because there is
something that brings us here more than just our conscience; it's that
most of us know exactly what unemployment and the pain of unemployment
is, the loss of dignity of unemployment. And then we have our families,
and then we have our communities.
And so we really believe that for those people that believe that we
don't

[[Page H14860]]

understand, before this Congress ends, the President and this Congress,
we truly understand that this is a threat to our national security, and
as Americans, as patriots, and as those who advocate a strong economy
and a strong workforce, we will be glad to let you know that we will be
doing all and everything that we can, and we've got to get the job
done.
Thank you so much for yielding me this time.
Madam Speaker, the recent November jobs report offers encouraging
signs that the Recovery Act is indeed working and that the economy has
started to grow. Over the last three months, job losses have come down
to the lowest level in two years. But the report is also a sobering
reminder of the need to continue to advance policies that stimulate job
creation and support the needs of American families and businesses that
are struggling.
Nearly 16 million Americans are jobless, up 558,000 from last month.
Unemployment is more than just a number--it's a measure of suffering.
It's that many more children living in poverty. It's that many more
families subsisting off of food stamps, which now feed 1 in every 8
Americans and nearly 1 in every 4 children.
An economic recovery plan focused on salvaging Wall Street, credit-
frozen banks, and slumping American automakers--while all right and
good--is not a meaningful recovery if it does not help struggling
families.
That's why the Obama Administration, in addition to all of its great
work in turning this economy around, hosted a jobs summit last week
aimed at putting Americans back to work, and I am looking forward to
working with the President to do just that. President Obama's Recovery
Act has already resulted in as many as 1.6 million Americans gaining
jobs.
But unemployment remains at crisis levels. In New York City, the
jobless rate for people 16 and over has increased over the past year by
73.7 percent. Half of the city's residents who are near poverty report
experiencing three or more hardships at once, including falling behind
on rent, not filling a prescription, or being unable to purchase enough
food. The President's efforts to stave off depression and economic
collapse have helped, but millions of Americans are saying, ``Tell that
to my landlord.'' Rebounding economic statistics mean little when so
many Americans are still struggling economically.
Over the course of the next few weeks, creating jobs will be my first
and foremost priority. I look forward to working with the President and
my colleagues in Congress, including members of the Congress Black
Caucus.
African American and Latino families are among those that suffer the
most from a recession because they are disproportionately impacted by a
weak economy and do not have the safety net enjoyed by others. The
unemployment rate for all African-Americans is about 50 percent higher
than the nation as a whole, and more than 1 in 4 low-income Latinos in
New York reported losing their jobs in the past year. We must offer
fresh and bold solutions to cultivate an economy that works for us all.
Not just the wealthy. Not just the politically connected. But all of
us.
Not only is America hurting; so are our kids. New York City has
200,000 disconnected youth on its streets, kids ages 16 to 24 not in
school and without employment. New York houses more kids in state
prisons than it does on college campuses. Nowadays, it isn't just high
school dropouts who are out of work. Americans from all economic groups
are falling prey to a shrinking workforce, whether it's the hospital
worker laid off after toiling at the same job for decades, or the
college graduate having a tough time finding a job. In fact, Black
college graduates are having a tougher time finding employment than
their White counterparts, both those with and without a degree. We are
all vulnerable, and we all deserve a helping hand in pulling through
these difficult times.
There can be no excess of good ideas to combat this crisis sweeping
our nation. One thing we can do, and do immediately, is extend
unemployment insurance. It is urgent that we provide out-of-work
Americans with instant relief. Additionally, the White House has
committed itself to expanding green job opportunities through the
Recovery through Retrofit program. These are good green jobs that can't
be outsourced.
We must enact aggressive measures aimed at employing our young people
at this critical time. The Administration is launching its ``Educate to
Innovate'' campaign to improve participation and performance in the
sciences through partnerships with foundations, nonprofits, and science
and engineering societies. National service programs must be well
funded, and we must develop an ambitious strategy to urge our youth to
participate in them.
In the House, I am working with my Democratic colleagues on a jobs
package that would include additional funding for infrastructure
projects, like highway construction and renovation, bonds for building
schools, and the expansion of the successful Build America Bonds
program, already funding several infrastructure projects across the
country. These projects are designed to put Americans immediately to
work, all while making America safer and stronger.
In an effort to boost small business creation and tackle credit-
freeze, we are anticipating expanding small business loans, providing
fixes for community banks, and extending small business and bonus
depreciation provisions from the stimulus package. Even the creation of
green empowerment zones--those areas where at least 50 percent of the
population has an unemployment rate higher than the state average--
would provide tax incentives to businesses that hire individuals who
live and work in those areas that are most suffering.
We are in the midst of a national emergency, but as a unified people,
looking after each other, we will get through this stronger and far
more prosperous.
Ms. FUDGE. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. We so much appreciate
your being with us.
Now I would like to yield to the person who has really gotten me
through most of this year, our representative from the Virgin Islands,
Donna Christensen.
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you, Congresswoman Fudge. And thank you for
the great job you're doing in pulling us together every week.
We had a press conference last week--and I agree with Al Green when
he said we shouldn't even have to call it, not when unemployment in our
communities is over 15 percent, even over 30 percent in some, and 50
percent when we look at young African American males, not when our CBC
foundation can tell us about the lack of jobs for black males who have
not completed high school or who have just completed high school
compared to other people with similar educational levels.
The stark gaps in unemployment for African Americans, American
Indians, Latinos, and Asians cry out for a remedy, one that responds to
those who are most in need and at risk. If no one else will answer
tonight, the Congressional Black Caucus is answering, and we will
answer every day until we turn the unemployment rates and every other
inequity in our communities around.
I've had the opportunity, on a small scale, to see what can happen
with programs like these because we don't have to go through the State
and the local distribution. We will soon graduate 26 formerly
unemployed men and women who knew nothing about solar water heaters who
can now build them from scratch and install them. They have an
opportunity, through the ARRA, the program created by our government,
our utility, and a not-for-profit to put their training to work in real
jobs. And what these young men have told us is please continue these
programs and expand them for us. That is what we are here to say on
behalf of them and the millions of others who need work today.
I want to just say that the same thing applies to health care jobs;
they are needed in all of our communities on every level. This is a job
industry that is growing and will continue to grow as we pass health
care reform. There is a great opportunity for our communities in health
care to create jobs.
I want to take this opportunity to thank Rev. Emanuel Cleaver,
Congressman, and our Chair, Barbara Lee, for being so aggressive in
working and moving the Congressional Black Caucus and using us to move
our caucus towards the creation of these jobs, and to thank our
President for making job creation a central part of his agenda. We are
his strongest allies and supporters and advocates. And advocating, as
we do for our community, we are working to ensure that the benefits of
his Presidency reach everyone in this Nation.
Democrats don't plan to go home until we do something meaningful to
create jobs. The Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa season must be one of
hope for everyone. That is our commitment as Democrats and as the
Congressional Black Caucus; our commitment is to make sure that these
benefits extend to everyone, especially those who are suffering most,
especially those in the African American community and other
communities of color, not just for a few, not just for some, but for
everyone living in this country.

[[Page H14861]]

I yield back.
I am pleased to join our Chairwoman Barbara Lee, Congresswoman Fudge
who does such a great job of organizing these special orders every week
and my other CBC colleagues to speak to the critical importance of
creating jobs for the American people, as we Democrats are poised to
do, but particularly in the hardest hit African American communities
who when America sneezes gets pneumonia, when a breeze blows elsewhere
we get a hurricane, and when surf is high for everyone else we get a
tsunami.
We had a press conference last week, that as Congressman Al Green
said and I agree, we should not have had to call.
Not when the unemployment in African American communities is over 15
percent, even over 30 percent in some areas and higher in some age
groups. Not when the projections are as they always have been that
joblessness will continue longest for us--especially for African
American males.
Not when the CBC foundation issued issues a very telling report that
has clearly demonstrated the severe gaps in employment for black male
high school graduates or who have not finished high school even in
unskilled jobs compared to every other group with the same educational
levels.
And not when universities and others across our country have reported
studies that clearly demonstrate racial bias in hiring and all of this
is only the tip of the iceberg.
The stark gaps in employment for African Americans and Latinos cry
out for a remedy--one that responds to those who are most at need and
at risk and, if no one else will answer, we the Congressional Black
Caucus is answering today and every day until we turn around the
unemployment rates and every other inequity in our communities.
There is just no way that we will stand by and let our community be
left behind as the country recovers from the recession and the focus
turns, as it must, to job creation. And, we are determined that our
community will not be left behind as we turn the page to a new green
economy and as we embark on a reform of our healthcare system. Both
will require massive training programs and a major expansion of our
workforce on every level. This is an opportunity that we cannot afford
to let pass us by--we won't!
I have had the opportunity to see on a small scale what can happen
with programs funded thru ARRA because in my district--the US Virgin
Islands--state and local are treated as one entity, so I do not have to
depend on the state to distribute funds at the local level.
We will soon graduate 26 formerly unemployed men and women who knew
nothing about solar water heaters soon who can now build and install
several models from scratch. They are now in their practicum installing
them in government youth and senior facilities. I was so impressed as
they explained things I will never understand. They have an opportunity
now with a program created by government our utility and a not for
profit to put their training to work in real jobs.
But what the student-trainees we met with Paul Larsen, Dean Doctrine
and Kahlil Simone--begged us was that we continue this program and
provide them with even greater opportunities.,
This is what we--on their behalf and on behalf of millions of
others--are asking this Congress and our President to do now.
And the same applies to health care jobs. They are needed in all of
our communities. Community health workers, allied health techs and
nurse techs will be needed to meet the demand of the newly insured,
they will be the key to eliminating health disparities in our
communities, and open a door to even more opportunities. Right now the
Department of labor has 200 million dollars available for training for
healthcare jobs our of the ARRA, we need to continue and expand that
going forward in the jobs bill this body will pass and we need to
ensure that the communities that suffer the greatest disparities are
targeted with these programs for job creation in this industry where
the demand will only continue to grow.
Health care provides a great opportunity for the now un- or under-
employed to lift themselves out of poverty, to improve the health of
their communities and to raise our nation's standing for all of the
health indicators for which--like infant and maternal mortality as well
as general health status we lag behind everyone of our industrialized
global partners.
I would like to thank the Jobs Taskforce led by our colleague,
Reverend Emanuel Cleaver, and our Chair Barbara Lee for aggressively
moving to ensure that communities like ours which are distressed and
the people who live there will not continue to be marginalized by post
racial wannabees.
As was said at the press conference in response to those who would
make this a racial issue--if it is, it is not because we made it so. It
is made so by the fact that the communities with the highest
unemployment and the highest rates of poverty are African American,
American Indian and other communities of color.
And for those who want to make this a fight between the CBC and the
President--nothing could be further from the truth!
The White House unfortunately has too many advisors to whom the
distress and misery in our communities are if not invisible, are not
clearly seen and definitely not felt!
It is our responsibility to be the advisors and the advocates on the
other side, on the side of those who have felt and borne the brunt of
every hard time, every recession or depression long before and a whole
lot longer than anyone else in this country.
We are our President's allies, supporters and strongest advocates. In
advocating, as we do for our community, we are working to ensure that
the benefits of his presidency reaches every corner of this nation, and
that his presidency surpasses every other through the prism, not just
of history, but of what happens today to improve the lives of those
most in need.
Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, we thank you for, once again, allowing the
caucus to come and share with you our views. I want to thank all of the
members of the caucus who came tonight. I think it was a very, very
interesting and dynamic discussion.
Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, the Nation's unemployment rate is alarming--
over 10 percent of our citizens are unemployed. However, African
Americans have been hit harder by the recession. Nearly 15.6 percent of
African Americans are unemployed. My congressional district has an even
higher unemployment rate, of 17.1 percent, and is one of the poorest
communities in the country. Many parts of the Greater Cleveland area
suffer from abject poverty and unemployment. Nearly one in every four
Cuyahoga County residents lives below the poverty line. These
unemployment rates demonstrate that Americans need and deserve a more
concerted federal effort to reduce poverty and create jobs. We must do
more to help curb our Nation's problem and create jobs for our people.
One reason I came to Congress was to help struggling Americans in my
district. My number one priority is to promote policies that create
jobs and spur economic development. I have consistently advocated for
such policies this year.
In the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, Representative
Loebsack and I introduced the sectors amendment, which helps
individuals and businesses by bringing together multiple stakeholders
with a common interest in developing and implementing workforce
development strategies that contribute to local and regional growth.
The purpose of Sectors is to prepare individuals for jobs that are
available in their communities now. Sector approaches draw upon the
expertise of many partners who improve worker training, retention, and
advancement by developing cross-firm skill standards. It promotes
career development, job redefinitions, and shared training, while
supporting capacities that facilitate the advancement of workers at all
skill levels, including the least skilled. An emerging body of research
demonstrates that sector strategies can provide significant positive
outcomes, including job attainment, increased wages, and greater job
security.
As we work to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable
health care, I authored an important provision in the Affordable Health
Care Reform Act. This provision requires the Advisory Committee on
Health Workforce Evaluation and Assessment, established by the bill, to
monitor the adequacy of the health care workforce and report workforce
shortages. This will ensure the creation of job opportunities, where
necessary, for constituents of the Eleventh Congressional District of
Ohio. My provision will guarantee a rapid response to shortages in the
health care workforce, such as Health Information Technology, nursing,
primary care physicians, pediatrics and other specialists.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides $19 billion for
the U.S. to take the lead in health information technology. It
establishes standards for a nationwide electronic exchange and health
information to improve quality and coordination of care by 2010.
Earlier this year, I introduced the Health Information Technology
Public Utility Act. This bill will assist all health facilities
transition to computerized health records. Ursuline College, an all-
women's school in my district has created a curriculum responding to
this need. Sister Diana Stano, President of Ursuline, has a health IT
program that facilitates the expansion of my district's health
information technology workforce. This program is more important at a
school like Ursuline, because nearly 30 percent of the population is
comprised of students from lower socio-economic groups or first
generation college students. These students will now have an
opportunity to move straight from training to sustainable employment.
Currently I am working with Chairman Towns and Representative Patrick
Murphy on legislation that will not only assist students

[[Page H14862]]

with private education loans but also create jobs following college.
The proposal allows college graduates to swap a portion of their
private student loan debt for a federally subsidized loan with a lower
interest rate. As a result of the conversion, the federal government
would earn $9 billion for school construction, improvements for primary
and secondary education facilities and institutions of higher
education.
We must provide financial support for students to complete trade
certifications or college degrees. Education is the only way to end the
cycle of poverty.
We must encourage innovation in lending so small business and those
in minority communities have access to capital.
We must aggressively advocate for loan modifications to reduce
foreclosures and keep Americans in their homes.
In short, we need a concerted effort from the Federal government to
expand access to the critical services and resources for minority
communities. The exaggerated rate of Black unemployment is problematic
for the entire Nation. These families, and those in disproportionately
affected regions, need a solid pathway out of poverty.
By re-training workers in expanding industries, instead of those that
are shrinking we can move people out of poverty.
Targeted assistance to Americans disproportionately suffering from
the recession is crucial to reducing the unemployment rate for all.

____________________