Edolphus Towns: “I thank my colleague and friend for yielding. I rise because I believe we have lost sight of why we are here. I want to…”

“I thank my colleague and friend for yielding. I rise because I believe we have lost sight of why we are here. I want to remind my colleagues that we are here to represent the American people. We are here to ensure that as many as possible have the resources they need to pay their bills, feed their families, and maintain a suitable place to live. Today, there are millions of Americans who are struggling and do not have a suitable place to live. Many people are suffering because of an economy that is beyond their control. The bottom line is they need us to do something about it. They need us to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance for at least the next 2 months until we can agree on how to do it for the entire year. The last thing working Americans need to see is a reduction in their paychecks because we failed to extend the payroll tax cuts. We can today make sure they at least get some assistance for the next 2 months. Then we can reach an agreement on how to do this for the entire year. That doesn't seem to be unreasonable. It's just 2 months. We need to vote on the Senate bill today. And as my colleague was talking about not leaving town, you're right. We should not leave town until we pass this bill, and we need to let millions of struggling families and children know that they will have some relief at least for the next 2 months so they can enjoy the holidays, so they can really believe in merry Christmas and a happy new year.…”