Democrats fighting to protect Nevada businesses and workers (Sen. Harry Reid)

 When the Senate refuses to pass good bills, the good people in our states pay the price.  I hope we can avoid more of that this week, that we can come together and work productively.

 Right now, loopholes reward corporations for shipping jobs out of America, putting them out of the reach of the many unemployed workers in each of our states.

 Every day we don’t act, those loopholes remain wide open, those jobs vanish and those we represent hurt.

Right now, small businesses are desperate for tax incentives to create jobs here at home.

Every day we don’t act, those small businesses have a harder time hiring, and the unemployment rate has a harder time falling.

Right now, Nevada’s unemployment rate is the highest in the country.  Victims of the recession who have been out of work for a long time are struggling to make ends meet while they try to find a job.  This bill extends the emergency unemployment assistance they need – critical help that, for many, has expired and dried up.

Every day we don’t act, those families in Nevada and across the nation continue to suffer unnecessary pain.

This will be the eighth week since March the Senate has debated the tax-cutting, job-creating bill currently on the floor.  That’s two full months we’ve been waiting – and they’ve been waiting– for us to respond to an emergency.  That’s unacceptable.

 The richest corporations continue to get richer while the unemployed remain out of work.  And every minute we waste, it gets worse.

 It’s our job to debate, not to delay.  It’s our job to legislate.  It’s our job to do something about it.

As we serve our citizens, it would serve the Senate well to remember the consequences of decisions that are driven purely by politics – the consequences of our actions and our inaction alike.