Cong. Trent Franks: 9.8% Unemployment Confirms Failure of Democrats' Economic Policies

December 3, 2010 - Responding to the release today of new unemployment figures revealing that nearly ten percent of Americans remain unable to find work, Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) released the following statement:



"Perhaps nothing I can say could sum up Democrats' skewed legislative priorities better than their own actions over the past two days. In an unfortunate, but telling, stroke of fate, Democrats decided yesterday -- just a day before the release of the latest report showing unemployment still hovering near an incredible ten percent -- to pass legislation allowing millions of Americans' tax rates to increase.

"Democrats allowed the tax increases while insisting they were only doing so to help pay down the deficit. I would offer a word of friendly advice to my colleagues across the aisle: fully ONE-THIRD of our entire national debt has been added in just the four years you have been in control of Congress. If you are seriously concerned about addressing the deficit, your first order of business should be at long last halting your continued spending, with complete abandon, money we simply do not have, NOT raising the taxes of millions of Americans, many of whom are already struggling to make ends meet under the burden of your failed economic policies."

"Furthermore, though you claim your tax increases only affect those you deem 'super-rich,' that is those who claim more than $200,000 in income on their taxes, the reality is that half of those filing under the tax bracket you are now punishing with even higher taxes are, in fact, filing on behalf of sole proprietorships, S corporations, and similar small businesses. In other words, the same small businesses we want to once again start hiring new employees in order to bring down that 9.8% unemployment rate will now find it even more difficult to do so, thanks to the added strain created by the new taxes you passed yesterday."






Congressman Franks is serving his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is a member of the Committee on Armed Services, Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee, Military Readiness Subcommittee, Committee on the Judiciary, Constitution Subcommittee, and is Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law.