Mark Udall: “I think today's action on the House floor is exactly the kind of thing that makes people cynical about Congress and the…”

“I think today's action on the House floor is exactly the kind of thing that makes people cynical about Congress and the political process. As our businesses are struggling to recover from recession, unemployment insurance is running out for thousands of people who have lost their jobs. Extending those benefits is something they need and something that will help the economy because it will enable them to continue paying their bills. Those are the facts. There should be no partisan disagreement about them--which is why the Senate unanimously approved the bill before us, which would extend those benefits for 13 weeks. And there should be no disagreement about what we should be doing today as we prepare to adjourn and leave town for more than a week. We should be passing that bill--the bill supported by every Senator, regardless of party--and sending it to the President so he can sign it into law. But we aren't doing that. Instead, the Republicans leadership is insisting on holding that bill hostage--which means holding hostage everyone who need the extension of unemployment coverage--by sending it back to the Senate loaded down with a bulging grab bag of other legislation that the House has already passed before.”