On the recordDecember 15, 2010
with our vote today on the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010, we have passed legislation that will have profound short- and long-term consequences for our nation. I supported this measure once it became the only available option to provide much- needed help to American families. I, however, have deep concerns with other aspects of this bill, and I extend my support for it with strong reservations. Our economy has not yet recovered from the downturn that began over 2 years ago. Hawaii's foreclosure rate in October of this year was the 12th highest in the Nation. In November, Hawaii saw a 49-percent increase in consumer bankruptcy filings compared to the same month in 2009, the second largest increase in the country. These are strong indications that people in Hawaii cannot sustain an increase in their tax obligations. We cannot allow taxes to rise on the workingclass when so many homeowners are already unable to afford their mortgages and consumers are unable to meet their outstanding debt obligations. One major cause of these problems is unemployment, and I would not have been able to support this legislation had it not included a 13- month extension of unemployment benefits. Families and individuals across Hawaii and the Nation need these benefits to help pay their rents and mortgages while they search for a job, and parents need this assistance to put food on the table and provide for their children.
