Speeches by Secretary Elaine L. Chao

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Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao
U.S. Department of Labor Job and Skills Fair
“Workforce Recovery Conference”
January 10, 2002

Thank you and good morning.

I want to thank my colleagues—Secretary of Commerce Don Evans and Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta—as well as the Deputy Secretary of Labor Cameron Findlay and the Deputy Mayor of Washington, D.C., John Koskinen. We are here to kick off the Workforce Recovery Conference and help get the Washington, D.C., area back to work!

John, I know that Mayor Williams wanted to be here today, but sadly had to attend a funeral instead. We’re so glad that you were able to come to represent our nation’s capital city.

I also want to thank the 200-plus employers and skills providers that have exhibits here today. You are all patriots, dedicated to getting America back to work, and I commend you for it.

To the job-seekers who have come here: I hope each one of you leaves here today with either a job or some new skills that will help you find a rewarding job in the near future. There really is something here for everyone, so please take full advantage of this special gathering.

Many of you are already aware of this, but it is worth mentioning that Labor Department data shows unemployment in this area dropped a little bit in November—from 3.5 to 3.4 percent. We hope this job fair will make that number even lower in the coming months.

Getting the DC area and all of America back to work, driving down the “Bin Laden” unemployment numbers… this is something that we must do together.

Government alone can’t turn those numbers around. Employers can’t do it alone, and workers can’t do it alone, either.

But together, we will get it done.

We are waging a war against the recession that really is part of our war against terrorism. And I know that we will win both wars. After all, we have already shown our ability to pull together, fight together and work together. Our entire country joined hands as soon as the terrorists hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and our resolve to defeat terrorism has not faltered.

Thankfully, this administration already has excellent programs in place to help dislocated workers—that’s why we were able to put together this job fair.

However, the Senate needs to end the roadblock on the President’s job growth agenda. Unemployed workers don’t need partisan delays and political speeches—they need jobs.

They need an extension of their unemployment benefits and help with their health insurance premiums. And the president’s plan will do that. But it’s very important to note that the economic security package will also make this situation temporary—because what dislocated workers really need is to re-connect with the workforce, to start getting a paycheck instead of an unemployment check.

The President’s plan for economic recovery is compassionate and it is economically sound. Tax cuts will help the economy. The Washington Post recently said that the large personal income tax rebates and rate cuts enacted by the President and Congress earlier last year helped incomes rise significantly in the third quarter of 2001—a bright spot in an otherwise declining economy.

And moderate Democrats are saying that it would be a mistake to raise taxes now by repealing those cuts. We couldn’t agree more.

The president’s energy plan will also create hundreds of thousands of jobs as it makes us more self-sufficient and self-reliant for our energy needs. This is sound policy and, again, the Senate must act.

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