(sounds of protesters)

About a hundred people, many of them unemployed, took part in the protest at Senator Cornyn's office on Memorial. They're disappointed with the job crisis, and a debt deal that they claim will lead to even more job losses.

Unemployed iron worker Thaddeus Cooks

One of the protesters was Thaddeus Cooks, an unemployed iron worker.

"Over the past year or so, I've only worked sparingly. And I have many people in my field, brothers in my field, who work just as sparingly as I have, and it's barely enough to take care of our families and make ends meet. The middle class is just on life support."

Cooks says Cornyn and other lawmakers are protecting tax breaks for corporations and doing little to create decent jobs.

"Whatever they're doing is not enough, because there are not enough good jobs. That's the best way I can answer that. I can't personally tell you what this senator is trying to do, or what he's not trying to do. I can only tell you what he hasn't done, and that's create jobs for us."

The protesters are calling on Congress to end tax breaks and loopholes, and make big corporations pay their fair share of taxes, so America can invest in creating quality jobs.

Attempts to get a comment from Senator Cornyn were unsuccessful.

Instead, his office released a statement that said in part, that quote...

"President Obama and Democrats in Congress, stonewall in favor of legislation that puts the country further in debt, tightens burdensome regulations, and imposes new job, killing taxes."

...unquote.