Tom Udall: “although with great hesitancy, I rise today in support of this overdue legislation to extend unemployment benefits. I…”

“although with great hesitancy, I rise today in support of this overdue legislation to extend unemployment benefits. I had greatly hoped that Congress would have passed this extension prior to adjournment of the 107th Congress. I also am very disappointed that the bill before us today does not extend 26 weeks of extended benefits to all unemployed workers. However, I will vote in favor of S. 23 because we must expedite the extension of unemployment benefits. As we all well know, and as I hope the American people are aware, last year, before the 107th Congress adjourned, and fully cognizant that the expiration deadline of the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation, TEUC, program was fast approaching, the majority refused to act on a good compromise bill that the Senate had passed unanimously. As a result, the TEUC program expired on December 28, 2002, and with it so did federal unemployment benefits for more than 800,000 jobless Americans. In New Mexico, that delay meant 2,200 families lost their benefits. S. 23 is certainly a step in the right direction. It is imperative that we extend these benefits as the sluggish economy struggles to regain the vibrancy and growth it experienced under the previous administration. The unemployment rate has climbed from 4.2 percent when President Bush was inaugurated to 6.0 percent today. Additionally, there are now 8 million unemployed Americans.”