STATEMENT OF SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY ON JOB REPORT

WASHINGTON, DC— Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Senate Health, Education,Labor and Pensions Committee, issued the following statement on today’s report from theBureau of Labor Statistics, which showed that employers cut 4,000 jobs in August—the firstdrop in the number of jobs since 2003: "These job losses demonstrate that our economy is headed in the wrong direction. The overalleconomic growth that has been taking place in recent years can no longer hide the fact thatlarge numbers of working families are suffering. Major job losses in construction andmanufacturing demonstrate that good jobs are increasingly hard to find. The pressure of homeforeclosures, high fuel prices and escalating health costs continue to squeeze millions ofhardworking families. It’s time for a change in course—Americans want and deserve aneconomy that works for them, not just for the wealthy elite who are monopolizing more andmore of the nation’s wealth and productivity.” ###