Roskam: We Need A New Direction After Illinois' 11.1% Unemployment

Statement

Today, Congressman Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), Deputy Whip and member of the Ways & Means Committee, issued the following statement after the Illinois Department of Labor reported that Illinois' unemployment rate now stands at 11.1%, an increase of 3.3% since President Obama was inaugurated:

"These latest job numbers confirm that Illinoisans are seriously struggling, and massive spending from Congressional Democrats isn't providing the help they need. We were promised that unemployment would not go above 8% if we only passed a trillion-dollar stimulus, yet Illinois' 11.1% unemployment almost one year later confirms it's failure. And while my constituents have and continue to want our focus to be on jobs, Democrats in Congress have instead spent this year focused on a government takeover of healthcare that will do nothing to help our economic woes.

We need a change in direction. What Americans were demanding a year ago, they are still demanding now: a focus on jobs and the economy. We need to focus on pro-jobs policies, shrinking the size of government and reducing our massive debt. Devoting all our time to a healthcare takeover that the public heavily opposes is not the responsible way to govern."

Source