Sen. Carper Statement on AstraZeneca Announcement

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement in response to the announcement that AstraZeneca will eliminate positions from its U.S. business operation:

“As Governor, I worked hard to bring AstraZeneca – and its thousands of good paying jobs – to Delaware, so the news of these layoffs is particularly saddening. My thoughts are with the employees and their families, who are negatively impacted by AstraZeneca’s decision, and I will be doing everything in my power to help these employees get back on their feet and find new jobs in their profession. I will also work with AstraZeneca to help them emerge from this period stronger and able to hire more workers. This is a challenging economic environment even for successful companies like AstraZeneca, particularly with the changing business climate for the pharmaceutical industry. That’s why we have to redouble our efforts to get our economy back on track and create a nurturing environment for businesses – both large and small – to thrive. Congress should pass both a short term jobs package –like the one President Obama has proposed – so we can encourage hiring and provide tax relief to businesses, as well as a long-term deficit reduction package to keep our economy healthy in the future.”

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