DeLauro Statement on January Job Losses

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) issued the following statement following news from the Labor Department that in January the economy shed another 598,000jobs – the largest monthly job loss since the start of the recession in December of 2007. This brings the total payroll jobs lost to 3.6 million since the start of the recession. Additionally, the job-loss figures for December were revised upward – to 577,000 from the earlier number of 524,000. Further the unemployment rate jumped to 7.6 percent from 7.2 percent in December. This is the highest unemployment rate in more than 16 months. In December, Connecticut's unemployment rate was 7.1 percent.

In the midst of the economic news, there is some positive news. DeLauro announced that Connecticut will receive $2,625,312 million as part of tri-state National Emergency Grant through the Department of Labor to help workers who have lost or will lose their jobs as a result of the Wall Street financial crisis. In November of 2007, she sent a letter to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao in support of these funds for Connecticut.

"The severity of this economic crisis demands that we respond in kind. It is clear that we are caught in a brutal cycle of falling consumer demand, decreasing business investment, continued losses in the banking system, and as, the loss of nearly another 600.000 jobs shows, increasing unemployment.

"To halt this cycle, it is incumbent upon Congress to quickly send the economic recovery package to the President. This package creates jobs through investing in infrastructure projects, such as roads, highways, rail and mass transit and water and watershed improvements, as well as increasing alternative energy production, modernizing our health care systems; renovating public buildings to make them more energy efficient; and building 21st century classrooms, labs, and libraries to help our children and workers succeed in a global economy. And we put more money into the pockets of hardworking families by providing tax relief to American workers.

"This is about helping America's working families, who are facing unemployment, the threat of losing health care coverage and their homes. It is time to cease the political posturing and work together to put our economy back on track."