On the recordFebruary 1, 2012
I rise this evening in support of Congressman Michaud's motion to instruct conferees. Every single one of us in this Chamber woke up this morning and came to work. We're lucky to have jobs, jobs that are a source of dignity and self-fulfillment. But, Mr. Speaker, 13 million Americans woke up this morning with no jobs to go to, with no salaries to help support their families. These 13 million Americans are jobless, not because there is something wrong with them, but because something is wrong with the U.S. economy and with the policies designed to keep 1 percent of the population comfortable at the expense of the remaining 99 percent. The recession happened to the American people. They didn't bring it on themselves. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle see it differently. Instead of willingly extending jobless Americans the hand up they're entitled to, the majority insists on punishing jobless Americans for their predicament. They want to manipulate the unemployment insurance program that everyone pays into, that everyone deserves to access when they fall on hard times. They want to give States the permission to use unemployment insurance funds for something other than unemployment insurance. How convenient. I'd like to propose that we use war spending for something other than war spending.…
