On the recordFebruary 28, 2014
2 months ago today, emergency unemployment benefits expired for over 1 million Americans, including 20,000 veterans, and yet this House still has not taken up legislation to provide these workers and their families necessary relief. That is shameful. I rise to ask immediate action on my legislation, the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act, which provides a 3-month extension of benefits. 183 Members of the House--over 90 percent of the Democratic Caucus--have signed on to my bill. Constituents from across my district and across the country have been sharing heartbreaking stories of hardship and pain because these benefits have expired. One constituent, VeraMae of Lynn, Massachusetts, wrote to me and said: I am one of the people whose benefits expired at the end of the last year. My husband and I have tapped out all of our savings, and I'm beside myself with worry wondering how to make the little that we have remaining last longer. It is a mistake to eliminate this crucial safety net for those of us struggling to get back on our feet. We should not leave VeraMae and others just like her out in the cold another day longer. If the moral imperative to act isn't enough, Mr. Speaker, perhaps we should consider the economic benefits of extending unemployment insurance. In fact, economists agree that unemployment insurance is one of the best ways to spur economic growth, delivering $1.52 in economic activity for every dollar spent.…
