Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I stand here in support of extending unemployment benefits, and I have sponsored legislation to accomplish that goal. All Republican members of the Ways and Means Committee supported extending benefits when our committee considered this legislation in April. But today I rise in opposition to the legislation that's before the House today which includes a radical departure from long-standing Federal policy when it comes to the balance between work and extended benefits. And I am especially opposed to the cynical election-year maneuvering reflected in how the House is considering this important issue today. Federal law since 1981 has required at least 20 weeks of work before collecting Federal-extended benefits. The temporary program created in 2002 continued this commonsense policy. I believe requiring at least 20 weeks of work to qualify for Federal extended unemployment benefits is perfectly fair, but the majority of Democrats do not.”