WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today issued the following statement in reaction to the August jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor:

"For 43 consecutive months, the US unemployment rate has surpassed 8%. Even more troubling, last month nearly 370,000 more Americans simply gave up even looking for work. The current policies are failing this country - we must stop the economic train wreck that is coming down the track. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has said unemployment will climb above 9% if the President and Senate leadership fail to act to stop the fiscal cliff we face on January 1^st, when the Bush-era tax rates will expire.  

"This is a time that requires genuine leadership and the willingness to make tough decisions. The House has passed legislation that will maintain the current tax rates preventing the loss of 700,000 jobs and made the tough decisions to find cuts to spending and protect our military and national security, while the Senate and President sit idly by."

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