[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 26 (Friday, February 26, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S818-S820]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXTENSION OF UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, last night a number of Senators stayed on
the floor until almost midnight--I thank the staff and pages for their
endurance and patience.
This was over an issue that was critically important to our Nation.
It is an issue which relates to this recession we are in and the fact
that literally millions of Americans in every State across America are
out of work and doing their very best to find jobs. It is not easy.
There are as many as four unemployed workers for every available job.
People are taking jobs that pay substantially less than what they are
used to earning in the hopes of keeping their family together and
weathering this economic storm.
Some of the sacrifices that are being made will literally change
lives and families forever. People are losing their homes because of
the loss of jobs. Folks are finding their kids have to drop out of
college and come home because the families can no longer help them
afford to pay for tuition and the expense of higher education. So many
families in desperate straits are turning to the food banks in cities
across America. As I visit these food banks, they tell me there is a
dramatic increase in the number of people who come in looking for the
basic food they need to put on the table to keep their families
together.
Some of these families have lost their health insurance. It is one of
the first casualties of losing a job. Unless you have lived as a father
of a sick child without health insurance, you cannot imagine what goes
through his mind in that circumstance. It happened to me when I was
first married and did not have health insurance. I had a sick baby. My
wife and I just prayed we could find the care she needed when we did
not have health insurance to cover it.
For millions of Americans, that is not only a threat, it is a
reality. When you look at this hardship many Americans are facing,
through no fault of their own and despite their heroic efforts to put
their lives back on track, I believe it is unthinkable, unforgivable
that we would cut off unemployment insurance payments to these people;
that we would cut off COBRA payments which help them to pay for their
health insurance while they are unemployed.
Yet that is what is going to happen Sunday night. It is because the
Senator from Kentucky has objected to extending unemployment insurance
payments and COBRA health insurance payments for 30 days. In my State,
there are 15,000 people who do not realize this morning but will come
to realize Monday morning that their lives have dramatically changed.
They are not only out of work and they are struggling to survive, but
that one lifeline, that unemployment check that keeps them together,
that provides $250 a week so they can get on with life and try to turn
the corner, is going to disappear.
You say: Well, why? What is it that has brought us to the point where
we
[[Page S819]]
as a nation would cut off help for our own people? The Senator from
Kentucky explained last night it is because he wants to balance the
budget. He wants to cut the deficit. He is concerned about the debt.
Well, I share his concerns. What was said last night by so many
Members on this side of the aisle, which is, for goodness' sake, find a
way to express your political views that is not at the expense of
helpless people.
That is why so many Members stayed here until almost midnight talking
about it. Senator Stabenow from Michigan, what a terrible economic
situation in her State. One out of six people in her State is on food
stamps. They have had high unemployment for the longest time because of
the loss of manufacturing jobs and other employment opportunities.
It is an awful situation, repeated in Rhode Island, where they have
one of the highest unemployment rates in the Nation. They were the
first in the recession and are struggling to get through it. It is a
small State in comparison to Illinois or Michigan. But when Senator
Jack Reed and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse came to the floor, they talked
about hundreds of people in their State who will be cut off from
unemployment checks as of Sunday night because of the objection of one
Senator who says we have to learn our lesson about deficits.
The simple fact is, this is an emergency situation and should be
treated as such. If the floodwaters were rising in Kentucky or Illinois
and people were displaced from their homes, desperate to survive, we
would not sit down and do a calculation about whether to send them
emergency aid, we would do it because we are a nation that cares and a
nation that responds and we believe helpless victims deserve a helping
hand. These are helpless victims of the recession, and their helping
hand is an unemployment check that will be cut off Sunday night because
of the objection of one Senator.
Some came to the floor last night--Senator Corker of Tennessee, whom
I respect--and said: I do not think you ought to be doing this. I do
not think this is the way the Senate should work, that we should come
and renew the unanimous consent request to extend unemployment for 30
days.
I would say to Senator Corker, whom I respect, and Senator Bunning,
whom I respect very much: We were caught by surprise last night. We
could not believe we would actually have the Senate go home to our home
States, to the loving arms of our families, to a relaxing weekend, and
know that, Sunday night, unemployment checks were going to be cut off
across America for hundreds of thousands of people.
That came as a surprise to me last night. That is why we gathered on
the floor and talked about the economy and this issue. We talked about
the deficit, and we pointed out to the Senator from Kentucky that he
has voted for tax cuts that were not paid for, obviously that added to
the Nation's deficit. He has voted for programs not paid for that added
to the Nation's deficit.
Yet now he has decided to make his stand, not when it comes to tax
cuts for the wealthy but unemployment benefits for the poorest
struggling families in America. It is a stark contrast. Last night, we
begged him to save this debt debate for a different day and a different
issue and please do not victimize these helpless people who are
struggling to get by. We were not successful in that effort.
I do not know if the Senator has had a change of heart today. I hope
he has. I am going to renew my unanimous consent request that I made
last night. I hope we can agree to go forward. I certainly would say to
the Senator from Kentucky, we have ample opportunity in the days ahead
to debate this deficit and debt, in the budget resolution, in our
appropriations process, in virtually every bill that comes before us.
Why did he pick the unemployed families of America, falling behind,
losing their homes, struggling to survive, to make his political point
about debt and deficit?
One of the Senators said: Oh, in a week or so we will probably send
those benefits along. I guess that is true. I hope it is true. We may
eat up 3 or 4 days on the floor of the Senate to get it done, instead
of instantly doing it this morning, as we can in the process.
In my State, the State of Virginia, the State of Kentucky, there will
be unemployed people who will not receive their checks and will go
through the anxiety of wondering what happened in Washington that
caused them to lose that check they needed so desperately to keep their
home, to care for their kids, and to try to turn their lives around and
get another job.
That, to me, is an unacceptable approach to governing. It is one I
hope we do not do in the future. It is the reason we stayed so late
last night to speak to this issue.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the
immediate consideration of H.R. 4691, a 30-day extension of the
provisions which expire on Sunday, February 28: unemployment insurance,
COBRA, flood insurance, Satellite Home Viewer Act, highway funding, SBA
business loans, and small business provisions of the American Recovery
Act, SGR, and poverty guidelines, received from the House and at the
desk; that the bill be read three times, passed and the motion to
reconsider be made and laid upon the table.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there objection?
Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, reserving the right to object.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Kentucky.
Mr. BUNNING. First of all, let me say this, that I believe the
Senator from Illinois is correct that everybody in this Chamber wants
to extend unemployment benefits, COBRA health care benefits, flood
insurance, the highway bill assistance, medical doc fix, small business
loans, and rural satellite television for our viewers who cannot get
cable.
I will not object if the Senator from Illinois amends his unanimous
consent request to adopt my amendment or any amendment that pays for
the bill--we had a pay-go vote last week, and the Senate voted to pay
for all the bills that come through--or I will not continue my
reservation, I will not object if the Senator from Illinois would spend
the $10 billion it costs to renew these extenders for 30 days.
For example, we could do an across-the-board rescission of the
bloated Omnibus appropriations bill that was passed for this fiscal
year, which increased appropriations by 10 percent. That is just one,
besides my pay-for, which you have objected to. If we cannot find $10
billion somewhere for a bill that everybody in this body supports, we
will never pay for anything.
I continue my objection.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Objection is heard.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, earlier this week, the Senator from
Kentucky made the same request. The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid,
said to the Senator from Kentucky: I will give you a chance to come to
the floor with your paid-for amendment, fully debate it, and put it up
for a vote.
If you can convince a majority of the Senate to do that, you will
prevail.
If you can't, then we will treat this as we have so often, as
emergency spending, and proceed to help these unemployed people. The
Senator from Kentucky rejected that and said he did not want to bring
this matter to the floor for a vote because he might lose. I think it
is possible he might lose.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The time of the Senator has
expired.
Mr. DURBIN. I ask unanimous consent for 2 additional minutes.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Mr. DURBIN. If he has a way to pay for this and wants to offer it as
an amendment on the floor, we have given him the opportunity to do
that. But for him to say he wants to dictate how this is going to be
paid for from sources that, frankly, many of us believe are not
realistic in any way whatsoever--he wanted to take the money from the
Recovery and Reinvestment Act that has already been committed to
construction projects and to tax cuts across America; he wants to take
that money and reduce tax cuts for working families--I would vote
against that. I think that is very shortsighted and would hurt the
economy rather than help it. If he wants to make across-the-board cuts
in appropriations bills, he ought to have an opportunity to offer
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that amendment, and he has had that opportunity. But he doesn't choose
to do that. He wants to be guaranteed he will win. There are no
guarantees you can win.
There is a guarantee, because of his objection, that hundreds of
thousands of unemployed Americans will lose. Come Sunday night, they
will have their checks cut off. To be told people have a beating heart
and care about unemployed people and to cut off their unemployment
checks just doesn't track. I don't think it is any comfort to these
families to believe you care, but you are going to cut off their checks
anyway. What point are we making--how hard we can be, how tough we can
be? At what expense? The most vulnerable families in America are going
to suffer because of this political decision by one Senator. I think
that is unfortunate. I am sorry he has objected.
I promised I would not renew the request this morning, but we will be
back. We will try to get this done. I say those families, hang in
there. After the politicians are finished with speeches and debates,
America will not give up on you. It is going to be tough for a while,
while we work out this political difference, but, unfortunately, that
reflects the Senate and where it is today.
I yield the floor.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Kentucky.
Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 4691; that the amendment
at the desk, which offers a full offset, be agreed to, the bill, as
amended, be read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider
be laid on the table.
Mr. DURBIN. I object.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Objection is heard.
Mr. BUNNING. We have tried to work this out with the majority,
particularly after the pay-go vote last week. When 100 Senators are for
a bill and we can't find $10 billion to pay for it, there is something
the matter, seriously the matter with this body. I said that last
night. I don't wish to repeat myself. I have offered several ways to
pay for it. If everybody in this Chamber--and there are no Senators
except me here right now, but there are 100 Members of this body--
believes, as the Senator from Illinois does, that this is essential and
we should pass it, then we should pay for it. There are going to be
other bills brought to the floor that are not going to be paid for, and
I am going to object every time they do it. I don't much agree with the
Chairman of the Federal Reserve, but it was striking yesterday when he
said if the present level of debt and the present administration's
budget is passed, the debt of the United States will be unsustainable.
``Unsustainable'' to me means there is a chance of one of the rating
agencies downgrading the rating on our debt. We cannot allow that to
happen. I have too many young grandchildren who want America to be the
same America I grew up in. I am worried to death that will not be the
case.
I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
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