Political Quotes

“Mr. President, Senate Republicans and the White House have finally come forward with an unemployment insurance proposal. The Republican proposal is not just misguided; the Republican proposal is a punch in the gut and a slap in the face for the 30 million Americans relying on lifeline unemployment insurance benefits. It adds insult to infection. Unemployment benefits--the ones we developed that ensure that people can pay the rent or buy groceries--are already expiring. The last payments went out Saturday. Senate Republicans and Donald Trump sat on their hands for months instead of working with Democrats, so now it appears that a lapse in benefits is inevitable. Republicans apparently have a proposal that is just unworkable. You don't have to take my word for it; the nonpartisan experts who run the State workforce agencies have told the Finance Committee that any changes, even simple ones, can take months to implement. Now Republicans are talking about cutting those lifeline benefits--the ones that actually made it possible for folks to make rent and buy groceries and cover the cost of medicine and car insurance. They are talking about cutting those benefits by two-thirds. They want States to make complicated changes to the unemployment insurance program that could hold up benefits until 2021. Some States are indicating that it is almost impossible to manage this altogether. The Republican proposal is cruel. In my view, it is legislative malpractice.…”