Snowe Comments on Record High Unemployment

Press Release

Snowe Comments on Record High Unemployment

U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today made the following statement in response to the national unemployment rate increase to 8.5 percent in March, totaling 13.2 million Americans without jobs.

"With the national unemployment rate at its highest level in 25 years, this report reflects the gravity of our economic circumstances. As hard-working American families continue to grapple with the unprecedented challenges of the crippling economy, the federal government must continue with its efforts to enact policies that will ensure workers who lose their jobs do not also lose their livelihood. As a result of the recently enacted stimulus legislation, workers confronted with the unexpectedness of job loss now have access to tax-free unemployment insurance benefits to better assist them until they are able to get back on their feet and into the workforce. During these trying economic times, every dollar counts and as we continue to weather this economic storm, I will continue to advocate policies that will lift the economy and put us back on the road to recovery."

Senator Snowe is a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee and a longtime advocate of initiatives to strengthen the economy and spur job growth. She played a vital role in enacting the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and fought for the inclusion of a provision to exclude $2,400 of unemployment benefits from federal income tax. Most recently, Senator Snowe introduced the Jobs CSAR Act of 2009, bipartisan legislation to create a Job Creation Coordinator at the U.S. Department of Commerce to respond to the current economic crisis and focus efforts on expanding employment opportunities in America.

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