Frank Pallone: “I have to say that this proposal did not go far enough. We know that the economy is in a significant downturn, there are…”

“I have to say that this proposal did not go far enough. We know that the economy is in a significant downturn, there are many people who have exhausted their unemployment benefits, who would not be able to continue to receive benefits under the Republican proposal, and also the Republican proposal is for a relatively short period of time, 13 weeks, as opposed to the 26 weeks that had been proposed by the Democrats. Basically what they agreed to today, the Republicans, was to pass a bill that would provide 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits in every State during the first 5 months of 2003. However, even now the Republicans still refuse to provide any additional assistance to the 1 million workers who exhausted their 13 weeks of extended benefits last year but who remain unemployed. During the last recession in the early 1990s, these workers were provided 26 weeks of benefits; but this time they only received 13 weeks. Furthermore, there is $25 billion in the Federal unemployment trust funds, more than enough to both continue the extended benefits program this year and help exhaustees from the last year.”