On the recordJanuary 7, 2014
I see what is going on here. Our colleagues on the other side of the aisle know the power of this issue but don't really want to vote for it, and so they are putting impossible logjams in the path. Who would believe that on this side of the aisle we would delay an important part of the ACA which would hurt--as my colleagues from Illinois and Rhode Island brought out--parents who have kids with cancer? We are not going to do that, and we are not going to do it on the fly. So what I would say to my colleagues is if you believe in unemployment benefits and extending them, pass them clean and simple. Don't play games. Don't put obstacles in their path that you know would be insurmountable. Get it done. I make one other point. The bottom line is very simple: People want to work. People who have lost their jobs after working decades for a company are knocking on doors every day. They are going online. They are desperate to work. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
