Cities' Jobs Response: Congress Must Continue to Focus on the Economy

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Jul 06, 2012, 10:07 ET

WASHINGTON, July 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following statement is from Ted Ellis, President of the National League of Cities, and mayor of Bluffton, IN in response to today's unemployment report:

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"Too many people remain unemployed with economic growth remaining far too slow and anemic. Congress must focus on the economy and take actions to encourage job creation and set in place the building blocks for long-term economic success.

"Local leaders continue to do what's necessary in our communities to foster a climate ripe for innovation and business development. But, we can't do it alone. Combined with our efforts, we need federal leadership and cooperation to get the country's economy moving again.

"Recent efforts on the transportation bill are a good example of what's possible when federal leadership decides to work together. Now we need congressional leaders to come together and do the same on other measures that are long-overdue. Besides investments in physical capital, the nation also needs investments in human capital, such as a new education law that will give all of our children a real chance to compete for jobs, along with a new workforce training program that will give workers the skills they need to help businesses remain competitive in high growth and high demand industries."

The National League of Cities is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.

www.nlc.org
www.citiesspeak.org

SOURCE National League of Cities