John Yarmuth: “We are now in a situation in this country in which we have the greatest disparity between the very wealthiest people and…”

“We are now in a situation in this country in which we have the greatest disparity between the very wealthiest people and everybody else that we have had in 100 years. Already this year, the top 1 percent of the income earners in this country have earned 24 percent of total income. Despite all of this, our colleagues on the Republican side want to preserve tax cuts for those very, very fortunate people who have more now as a percentage of the American economy than they have ever had. Meanwhile, they're going to deny 2 million Americans an extension of unemployment benefits which every economist agrees is the best way to create economic activity. The American people rightly wonder whose side their government is on, and the problem, the juxtaposition of these issues that we face this week, the question of tax cuts for the very wealthiest Americans or extending unemployment benefits for those people who are struggling, is a clear delineation of whose side this government is on. We're on the side of the American people.”