September 8, 2011

WASHINGTON– US Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) released the following statement regarding President Obama’s joint address to Congress:

“I hope all Americans had the opportunity to watch the President’s speech tonight as he addressed the most important issue facing our country:  the need for jobs.   

The President’s American Jobs Act will combine tax relief, unemployment insurance and smart investment to create jobs, boost our economy, and put money back in the pockets of middle class Americans.   That’s exactly what our states, communities, businesses and families need.   

It will put people back to work – like teachers and first responders in NJ who lost their jobs due to budget cuts, and construction workers who are ready to begin rebuilding our roads and bridges.  It will provide tax cuts for our small businesses and an unemployment extension for our workers.  

This package will not add a dime to the deficit and should be supported by both parties.  In fact, some of the proposals are actually Republican ideas.  

The President’s proposal is in line with what I’ve been hearing from people across New Jersey. They want to get back to work.  And they want Washington to get to work on a real plan to get our economy moving again.  

This debate about jobs is not about politics;  it’s about people – their lives, their hopes, their dreams for a better, more secure life for themselves and their families.

Democrats are working to get results for those families and we hope some of our Republican colleagues will join us because it’s time to do our jobs so the American people can get back to work.”