[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 77 (Thursday, May 22, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H4532]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    EXTENDING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

  (Mr. CARDIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, if the House does not act today or tomorrow, 
80,000 Americans will be denied extended unemployment benefits on June 
1. Every week thereafter, another 80,000 laid-off workers will be 
denied benefits, totaling $2 million over the next 6 months. This is in 
addition to the one million unemployed workers who have already 
exhausted their extended benefits.
  Last week, Democrats tried three times to get a vote on extending 
unemployment benefits, but each time the Republicans said no. We are 
now in the longest period of negative job growth since the Great 
Depression. The unemployed are looking for work, but they cannot find 
jobs. They need and deserve extension of unemployment benefits.
  Mr. Speaker, I would hope that you would entertain a request to 
immediately consider legislation introduced by the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Rangel) and myself, H.R. 1652, to extend unemployment 
benefits for millions of Americans who have lost their jobs, not just 
those who have exhausted their State benefits. This request would 
simply ensure that the unemployed at least get a vote on the floor 
before we adjourn. We have the money in the Federal Unemployment Trust 
Fund to pay for these benefits. That is the least we can do.

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