WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 4, 2011) After the Senate yesterday failed to pass a key component of the President’s jobs plan, the Bureau of Labor Statistics today announced that the U.S. economy gained 80,000 jobs in October, with the unemployment rate down to 9 percent. The following is a statement from BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director David Foster:

“The American economy is stagnant and needs the jump start that the President’s jobs plan will provide – creating good jobs and getting our economy moving again. Unfortunately, some in Congress are more intent on stripping important protections for clean air and clean water, something that would not create a single job and instead, would set the nation back decades in the effort to build a cleaner, more efficient and more competitive U.S. economy.

“The President’s plan to get millions of Americans back to work while rebuilding our infrastructure and modernizing our schools is a no-brainer. It’s time Congress goes to work, and gets this bill passed.”