On the recordDecember 1, 2010
Today, without congressional action, hundreds of thousands of Americans will lose their unemployment benefits. Earlier this week, along with 19 of my colleagues, I introduced the Unemployment Insurance Stabilization Act of 2010--the USA bill. Our bill would reauthorize the Federal unemployment benefits program. Unemployment benefits are the only lifeline that many workers in Montana and across the nation have left in this tough economy. These benefits help millions of Americans to put food on the table and roofs over their heads. These benefits pump money into our economy and help to create jobs. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says that unemployment benefits have one of the largest effects on economic output and employment per dollar spent of any policy. This Congress has spent a lot of time reauthorizing unemployment benefits for a few months at a time. This bill would reauthorize the program for a full year. A longer reauthorization of the unemployment benefits program would provide certainty. It would provide certainty for our economy. And it would provide the certainty that Americans looking for work need. This bill would fund unemployment insurance for people who have lost their jobs in the latter portion of the recession. This bill would not provide anyone with more than 99 weeks of benefits.
