Political Quotes

“I listened to the arguments yesterday by the Senators from Oklahoma and Iowa and others who suggested this recession is not that bad; we really should not be talking about a million people who have exhausted their unemployment benefits; things were a lot worse 12 or 13 years ago. The unemployment rate in the United States of America has increased over 50 percent since October of 2000. We now have 6.0 percent or more who are unemployed in this country, a million of whom have exhausted their unemployment benefits. When the President said he was going to help these families, he forgot a million Americans, 53,000 in my State. I hope my colleagues in the Senate will understand that the money we have collected over the years and we put in the unemployment trust fund is money designed specifically for this purpose. Previous Presidents, Democrats and Republicans alike, have noted the need to help these struggling families. We cannot turn our backs on them. We will have a chance today by voting yes on this amendment, and I hope my colleagues on both sides will join in that effort.”