[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 127 (Wednesday, October 2, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9781-S9782]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              THE EMERGENCY UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION ACT

  Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, the decline of our economy in the last 
year and a half is truly staggering. It is absolutely critical that we 
in Congress, before we leave, do everything we possibly can to help 
Americans who have been hurt by this downturn--in particular, the 
people who are unemployed and having trouble getting back into the 
workforce. That is why it is essential that before we leave we extend 
unemployment benefits and adopt the Emergency Unemployment Compensation 
Act of 2002, which has been introduced by Senator Wellstone, Senator 
Clinton, myself, and others.
  Over 8 million Americans are unemployed. Since January of 2001, the 
national unemployment rate has risen from 4.2 percent to 5.7 percent. 
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, between May 
and July of this year, approximately 900,000 workers exhausted all of 
the additional weeks of Federal unemployment benefits that they 
received as a result of the economic stimulus legislation that passed 
the Congress last March. By the end of this year, that number will 
swell to 2.2 million workers having exhausted their unemployment 
benefits.
  We have lost more than 2 million private sector jobs since January of 
2001. For the first time in 50 years, the number of private sector jobs 
has actually

[[Page S9782]]

declined in this country. Now, the rate of increase in those jobs has 
gone up and down over the last 50 years but never in the last 50 years 
has there been an actual decline in the number of private sector jobs 
until this last year.
  The legislation introduced last week would do something about these 
problems by providing all States with an additional 13 weeks of 
temporary extended unemployment benefits. It would also authorize 
States with the highest levels of unemployment to get funds for an 
additional 7 weeks of benefits on top of the 13.
  This is especially important to my home State of Michigan. Michigan 
has one of the higher unemployment rates nationwide, currently 6.2 
percent.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Johnson). The time controlled by the 
majority has expired.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I notice a number of our colleagues are in 
the Chamber, and my time has expired. I ask unanimous consent that I be 
given an additional 3 minutes to complete my remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Mr. INHOFE. Reserving the right to object, I am sorry, I did not hear 
the Senator's question.
  Mr. LEVIN. I ask unanimous consent that I be given an additional 3 
minutes to complete my remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. LEVIN. I thank my friend from Oklahoma.
  Mr. President, the legislation we introduced last week would do 
something about these problems by giving all States an additional 13 
weeks of temporary extended unemployment benefits and would authorize 
States with the highest levels of unemployment to get funds for an 
additional 7 weeks of benefits above the 13 weeks.
  As I indicated, my home State has one of the highest unemployment 
rates in the Nation, currently 6.2 percent. That is the seventh highest 
in the Nation, and it is almost a full percentage point higher than it 
was just a year and a half ago. More than 60,000 workers in Michigan 
currently receive Federal unemployment benefits, with an additional 
50,000 Michigan workers having already exhausted their benefits.
  Michigan's median household income fell by 4.1 percent last year. 
Only four other States fared worse. In the country as a whole, median 
household income fell 2.2 percent last year, the first drop since 1991. 
So this legislation is crucial for Michigan's hard-pressed workers and 
their families, as well as for workers across the land.
  This is not just doing what is fair and what is right and what is 
equitable. Those reasons ought to be sufficient. In addition to that, 
providing additional benefits is a good stimulus for our ailing 
economy. The money we are talking about is money that will be spent. 
Those eligible to receive these benefits are people trying to make ends 
meet on a day-to-day basis, people who need money to put food on the 
table, to buy a prescription drug, to make a car payment, to pay rent, 
or to pay a mortgage. They spend this money.
  According to a 1999 Department of Labor study, every dollar invested 
in unemployment benefits generates $2.15 in gross domestic product. 
This bill extending unemployment benefits will put money into the hands 
of people who need it, people who will spend it, and that is good for 
our economy, as well as for them, because it sustains the jobs other 
people still have.
  There may be Members who will argue we cannot afford to extend 
unemployment benefits. Obviously, we should be concerned about our 
current budget situation. The 10-year surplus projection has declined 
by $5.3 trillion, or 94 percent, since January of 2001. But our budget 
problem does not come from extending desperately needed benefits to 
out-of-work Americans.
  The major problem is last year's $1.5 trillion tax cut which provides 
more benefits to the top 1 percent of all taxpayers than it does the 
bottom 80 percent of taxpayers combined. According to analysts who 
reviewed the CBO numbers, last year's tax cut is the single largest 
cause for our evaporated surplus.
  September 11 and its aftermath had an enormous impact on an economy 
that was already sputtering. The economy has not recovered. There are 
signs that it will not recover for a while longer. The tax cut has 
blown a hole in our budget, yet it is not just the centerpiece of the 
administration's economic policy, it appears to be the only economic 
policy we hear about from the administration.
  Since Congress passed a bipartisan extension of unemployment benefits 
in March, nearly 2 million people have exhausted those benefits without 
finding new jobs. The ability for them to receive additional benefits 
has expired. Yesterday, Senator Wellstone attempted to pass this bill 
by unanimous consent, but was prevented from doing so. This issue 
should be one of our top priorities. We should not leave this year 
without extending these benefits for America's unemployed. I am hopeful 
that Democrats and Republicans in Congress will be able to come 
together as we have done in the past and support the Emergency 
Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.
  Mr. LEVIN. I thank the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the next 1 hour 
shall be under the control of the Republican leader or his designee.
  The Senator from Oklahoma.

                          ____________________