On the recordDecember 15, 2011
First of all, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to welcome our troops back; and as we welcome them back, let's make sure we take care of them while they're here in the United States as well and make their lives a lot better. Mr. Speaker, it's time to stop showboating and get to work. If Congress does not act by the end of the year, 160 million Americans will face a tax hike next year and another 60 million people will lose unemployment benefits. Failure to extend unemployment benefits has a real impact on men and women across every State, people like Norma Lopez from my district in Ontario. While Norma has been looking for work, her unemployment benefits have kept her from getting foreclosed and has helped her make car payments. Unfortunately, the Republican proposal is full of poison pills and amendments that make the bill dead on arrival in the Senate. Republicans are asking seniors to pay more for Medicare and they're leaving the unemployed out in the cold, yet they refuse to ask millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share. Stop the political games. People's lives are hanging in the balance. They deserve help. Let's work together on a compromise bill that will help all of us. ____________________
