[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 7, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S23-S24]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           THANKING SUPPORTERS AND UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I rise to spend a few minutes this 
afternoon commenting on the debate that is before the Senate, our 
challenge to shape an unemployment compensation package or relief 
package that will help workers and do what is right by them.
  Before I do, I wish to take a moment to thank many people, many 
friends, many family members who are gathered in Washington and at home 
in Louisiana and around the country for their support, their prayers, 
and their help in the recent election cycle. I am back in the Senate at 
work in large part because of so many wonderful people who went beyond 
the call of duty, beyond what is expected and believed in what our 
campaign represented and what we spoke about and what I spoke about--
putting the interests of Louisiana first as it comes to representing 
that great State in this body, speaking about the issues people all 
over the Nation are concerned about, primarily the economy, keeping 
their families, their homes, their hearth together, protecting the 
Nation from the threat of terrorism, and shoring up our defenses 
against the great challenges before the Nation.
  I said many times over those months that it was important for us to 
speak the truth, that what Washington needed was leaders, not labels; 
that while we were proud of our parties respectively, we should not 
follow them blindly but should try to, as our new leader from Tennessee 
spoke this morning, put the country first. I hope his words and agenda 
and the words and agendas that come out of the Senate, fashioned by the 
men and women now in this body, will put the country first, will think 
about the fathers and mothers, the children, the workers who make up 
America, who are attempting as a nation, together, unified, black and 
white, Hispanic, Asian, and many other nationalities from all over the 
world, to speak with one voice to help lead this world in a challenging 
time.
  I thank particularly my husband and two children, the many members of 
my family, my parents, brothers and sisters and cousins. I joke often 
in Louisiana that one of the reasons I win is because if my family just 
votes for me, that is so many votes I always have a little advantage 
over my opponent. But truly, their votes, their work, and their prayers 
were noted in my heart today.
  I couldn't think of a better way to thank the people of Louisiana and 
the Nation than to actually be on the floor of the Senate speaking 
about an issue important to them and taking a few minutes out of the 
festivities, as we all celebrate our return, our victories, large and 
small, to the Senate and to Washington, new assignments, et cetera, to 
spend a moment speaking about the unemployment insurance program and 
the desperate need of people in this country.
  We have not seen unemployment rates this high in so many years. We 
have not seen a downturn in the economy such as this in so many years. 
I rise to speak for a moment about the great need, as we fashion a 
stimulus package, as we fashion an aid package, not a charity package, 
not a handout package, but a hand up package, a package not to people 
who are undeserving, a package not to people who don't work, a package 
not to people who don't want to work, but a stimulus package that 
honors the strength of America, the fact that people are working not 
just one job in many cases but two and three jobs, in this time of 
uncertainty, moving from job to job, people doing whatever it takes to 
keep that mortgage paid, to keep their car notes paid, to invest in the 
tools and resources they need to keep their families together and keep 
their net worth growing, not decreasing.

  That has been a challenge for average Americans. It has been a 
challenge for everyone, as many people have seen their retirements 
shrink, not through any fault of their own. Every one realizes there is 
risk associated with investment. But I am sure the workers from Enron 
and WorldCom and others affected all over our country would have reason 
to stand on the floor of the Senate, if they could get here, and say, 
listen, some of this was out of my control or my ability to manage or 
regulate.
  Some of it was done, as we know, fraudulently and without respect for 
the law. Frankly, maybe Congress didn't have as tight reins on some of 
these situations as we should have. So there are Americans who are 
angry and anxious and frustrated. I most certainly appreciate that. 
Having just come off a long and grueling campaign, I heard from many of 
these workers in Louisiana.
  Here we are, the first day, trying to fashion a package. I have 
listened to people talking about the program. I want to explain the 
unemployment insurance program. First, there is $26 billion in the 
trust fund. It is a program, an enterprise established for the purposes 
of helping Americans when they need help. It is not a welfare or a 
charity program. There are certain times when welfare is good. And all 
the time, charity is good. But we are not talking about charity. We are 
talking about money that workers from their pockets put into a trust 
fund that grows with interest so when the economy turns down, they can, 
if the Members of Congress say it is OK, pull that money down, put it 
in their pocket, pay their car note, which makes the car dealer happy, 
pay their house note, which makes the banker happy, pay their loan to 
the credit card companies, which makes them happy, pay their money to 
the credit union that keeps the credit unions going, pay the grocery 
store, pay the gas bill, pay the cleaners to keep the small businesses 
going. Does anybody think these unemployment checks go in the bank just 
sitting there waiting to be invested?
  I hope not, because people who have worked hard at a $50,000, 
$60,000, $70,000 job, who went to school sometimes late at night to get 
their skills, studied after putting their children to bed, way into the 
night, and worked hard to get those skills, now look to Washington to 
help.
  We have people on this floor who talk about this as if it is a 
charity program. These people are due, number one, the money they put 
in the trust fund. Number two, it is not their fault that unemployment 
is 6, 7, or 8 percent. It is our fault, if it is anybody's fault, 
because we are not managing the situation well enough--not that it can 
be perfectly done, but it hasn't happened yet. It most certainly is not 
the fault of the workers who have been laid off. They came not to ask 
for money that belongs to somebody else, but to ask us to give them 
their money so they can get through this hard time.
  We have to listen to House Republican leaders tell us that there is 
not enough money in the trust fund, when there is $26 billion in the 
trust fund, and we are arguing about whether we want something that 
costs $1 billion or $4 billion. And if we weren't spending the 
unemployment trust fund now, when would we spend it?
  So for the 1.6 million full-time workers in Louisiana, for the 
303,000 part-

[[Page S24]]

time workers in Louisiana, for the 1.085 million workers in Louisiana 
who work on an hourly wage, and for the 42,000 workers in Louisiana who 
work at the minimum wage, $5.15--I will repeat that--$5.15--because 
this President and the Republican leadership refuse to increase the 
minimum wage, so these workers are working at $5.15 an hour because 
this President refuses to raise the minimum wage, or to support a raise 
in the minimum wage--we are going to tell these people that while there 
is $26 billion in the trust fund, we choose not to ``expand'' the 
program.
  Let me register my strongest objection to that, and let me on behalf 
of the 4.5 million people in my State register their strong objection 
to that and say how disappointed they are that this administration and 
the House Republican leadership refuse to give them the money they put 
in the fund so when times went bad they would have it to keep paying 
their house note, so they didn't lose all the equity they have spent 
the last 20 years of their lives working for.
  Let me also object to the sentiment expressed too often on this floor 
that we have to give people an incentive to work. I don't know too many 
people who don't want to work. I really don't. Whether they work for a 
paycheck or stay at home raising seven children, or nine children, or 
four children, they work very hard. I don't know too many Americans who 
don't want to work because with work comes dignity, with work comes 
self-satisfaction, with work comes thinking that you are doing 
something to help yourself and your family and your country. I know 
that a job or a small business is what most people aspire 
overwhelmingly to. But when that small business or that job slips out 
of their hands, not because they didn't do a great job or because they 
don't enjoy working, but because the company and because the policies 
that we are managing have come short, and we hand them that pink slip 
and we say, go for it, you have 13 weeks to find another job--a job 
having the same benefits and salary--and when it runs out, we might 
consider giving you another 13 weeks, we have to look people in the eye 
and say I am sorry, there is no more help--when there is $26 billion 
sitting in this account.
  So I wanted to register my strongest objection to leaving out a 
portion of these workers and to say for the workers in my State that I 
am going to be here now for 6 years fighting for them, talking for 
them. I hope I can do it adequately to meet how worthy they are. I am 
going to do my very best to represent them in as forceful and effective 
way possible on this and many other issues.

  Let me close with giving a few concrete suggestions. If we are going 
to have a stimulus package, let's be truthful and honest about the 
portions of it that will actually stimulate the economy and those that 
might stimulate our conference next election time. I ask the 
administration to relook at their package. Why don't we have the 
payroll tax holiday? The payroll tax holiday has been judged by 
conservative and liberal think tanks to be one of the most effective, 
immediate stimuli we can provide for the Nation. The money doesn't have 
to come out of the Social Security trust fund. It can come out of the 
general fund, based on payroll taxes. It is fair to every worker--the 
very wealthy, the middle income, and the poor. It rewards the idea of 
work. It is immediate and it is $1,500 per family. That $1,500 could be 
used immediately in this economy to give people confidence and to prime 
the pump, if you will.
  The Social Security offset--again, putting money into the hands of 
workers, retirees, people who have worked hard now, instead of getting 
both their full retirement checks--teachers in many instances are 
offset by their Social Security benefits--what good does that do if we 
can provide both, which we have the money to do, which is less 
expensive than this package, and give them both of those checks.
  Those people are in a time of their life when they are spending that 
money--not saving it, but spending it to live. That primes the pump in 
this Nation, as well as everything we can do to give depreciation for 
real estate, which would help in investments, and accelerating tax 
reductions for small business owners. But anything outside of that is 
actually nothing but stimulating some other special interests for other 
purposes, other than, in my opinion, strengthening this economy. That 
is wrong.
  I hope Congress and this Senate will work hard to fashion a stimulus 
package that is truly stimulative, affordable, financially responsible, 
and something that really helps all people, and not just those at the 
very top, but those who count on us to do our part to help them do what 
they are trying to do for their families and their communities.
  Mr. President, I am here giving my strongest support for moving 
forward with the unemployment compensation benefits, but very 
disappointed--extremely disappointed--that over a third to a half of 
workers in this Nation have been left out, and to say that we should 
include everyone, and we should focus on making the program better and 
more effective so that it is more helpful. I will tell you $182 a week, 
or $250 a week--the average payment in Louisiana--doesn't go far. You 
cannot even pay a grocery bill for a family with three or four children 
with $200 a week. I don't know where you get gas money, rent money, or 
mortgage payments on top of that. So this Congress has a lot to do when 
it comes to reforming, reshaping, revitalizing, and redesigning the 
unemployment insurance program for this Nation. I hope to be a part of 
that. But for today, extending that benefit--at least for all the 
workers who deserve it--again, it is not our money; it is theirs. They 
worked hard for it. There is $26 billion in the trust fund and we 
should give it to them.
  I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Thomas). The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I ask that the time be equally charged 
to both sides.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, we also are in morning business; is that 
correct?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. That is correct.
  The Senator from Colorado is recognized.
  Mr. ALLARD. I thank the Chair.
  (The remarks of Mr. ALLARD pertaining to the introduction of S. 98 
are located in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')

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