Frank Pallone: “the amazing thing, we were trying, the Democrats insisted before we went home that we would stay here to pass a package…”

“the amazing thing, we were trying, the Democrats insisted before we went home that we would stay here to pass a package, but of course the Republicans just adjourned. My understanding is, and I have not seen the proposal, I guess we may consider something tomorrow or Thursday, is that the Republicans are coming back with something like a 12-week extension which may or may not even be retroactive. That is a very short period of time, given what we are facing here. The Democratic proposal is for double that, basically 26 weeks, and goes back to December 28. ... the total cost of the Democratic proposal, as I understand, it is to be twice as generous in terms of the extension of unemployment benefits; and to again, to begin to even penetrate some of those other people who have been longer unemployed or underemployed, is about one-twentieth, 5 percent, of what the President is proposing to gift upon the wealthiest by relieving them of the horrible burden of paying a small percentage tax on the dividends they earn by clipping coupons on stocks that they own. Where are our priorities? Could he not do 10 percent for the unemployed and for their families? I mean, it is just extraordinary to me that the emphasis would be so thinly disguised.”