On the recordJuly 22, 2010
It is a huge relief for millions of Americans who remain out of work through no fault of their own that the Senate has overcome the Republican filibuster to extend unemployment insurance benefits. It is an insult to the American people to suggest that those who are unemployed are sitting back and not looking for work while taking unemployment compensation. In fact, in order to qualify for unemployment benefits, one must be diligently looking for a job. Extending these benefits is not only the right thing to do for these families, but it is also important for our economic recovery. If these individuals and families are unable to purchase groceries or pay their rent or mortgages, then the entire community suffers. Washington Republicans say they are opposed to these emergency benefits because they claim to be concerned about the deficit. However, they recently announced that they wanted to extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and add over $700 billion to the deficit--a sum that would be paid by our children and grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this much-needed legislation so that we can continue to help American families make ends meet during these difficult economic times.
