On the recordNovember 30, 2010
This is a long injustice. And the question has been raised: Why use moneys within the jurisdiction of Ways and Means and Finance to support this bill? The answer is very clear. There is no escape. There is a moral compulsion to act on this legislation. And no one should hide behind issues of jurisdiction. We have tried to do this for years. The Finance Committee decided there was a way to finance it. This is a morally right thing to do period. The bill also extends the basic TANF program through September 30 of next year. I greatly regret that the TANF provisions included in this bill do not include an extension of the TANF Emergency Fund. That fund has helped unemployed families find work and assisted local economies in coping with the recession. Roughly 250,000 jobs were created, most of them in the private sector. Unfortunately, Republican opposition in the Senate has repeatedly blocked our efforts to extend this program. This is critical legislation. I urge its support.
