Gerald Kleczka: “I sat here and listened in amazement as my Republican colleagues came crying crocodile tears for the poor unemployed who…”

“I sat here and listened in amazement as my Republican colleagues came crying crocodile tears for the poor unemployed who lost their benefits as of December 28. As I recall, back before we adjourned in November the Senate sent an identical bill over here, but the Republican House leadership chose not to take it up and instead went home; so the House Republicans created this situation which now they decry as the poor unemployed workers, something that they actually caused. But the problem even after we pass this bill is that they are forgetting about in excess of 1 million people whose benefits have expired that we could extend for another 13 weeks, knowing full well that the money is there. If this country has $674 billion in additional tax cuts for people other than these unemployed, surely we have a couple of billion for the million unemployed workers and their families who get no money today. So we are saying that the bill before us is incomplete. Add the rest of the people who are hurting and we have done a better job. Yes, we can do that in 2 seconds. The Senate will adopt it unanimously, and the President can sign it tomorrow.”