Political Quotes

“Madam President, I appreciate the Senator from Texas coming here, engaging, and I appreciate the fact that he is making a point. But I am trying to make a point which I think is very compelling. Within a few days--December 28--1.3 million Americans will lose their extended Federal unemployment insurance benefits. It will be a tremendous trauma to those families, and it will be a huge impact for our economy going forward. I have renewed my request for a full 1-year extension, and it has been objected to. I recognize that. But, I believe it is urgent we extend unemployment insurance benefits. I also have been working closely with my Republican colleague, Senator Heller, on a bipartisan basis to introduce a bill to extend these benefits for 3 months, giving us the opportunity to go and take a more deliberate and careful review of the program and also to provide for a mechanism to extend the benefits for a full year. I am very pleased we are beginning to build bipartisan support for this initiative for at least 3 months. It does reflect the fact that my colleagues from all across the country are recognizing the huge impact of this loss of benefits. This is not a problem that is restricted to a particular area of the country. Nevada has the highest rate in terms of unemployment numbers. Rhode Island trails behind, but not by much. We are at over 9 percent.…”