Congressional Record, Volume 156 Issue 106 (Monday, July 19, 2010)

[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 106 (Monday, July 19, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H5697-H5702]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

EXTENSION OF UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Fudge) is recognized
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.

General Leave

Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be
given 5 legislative days to enter and extend remarks into the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Ms. FUDGE. The Congressional Black Caucus is incensed that some would
choose to politicize the proposed extension of unemployment benefits.
As the conscience of the Congress, the CBC will spend this Special
Order hour reminding them of the Americans they seem to have forgotten.
I will also be joined by a diverse cross section of Members from a
variety of caucuses, all urging the Senate to act now.
Madam Speaker, I would yield to my friend and colleague from the
State of Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).
Ms. KAPTUR. I want to thank Congresswoman Fudge for taking leadership
on this very, very important Special Order this evening on the subject
of unemployment and the extension of unemployment benefits during this
critical moment for our country.
I just got back to Washington after spending the weekend in my
district, and I'm telling you that is the issue. People come up to you,
whether you are in a parking lot, just leaving a food store, whether
you're in a religious institution on Sunday, people are asking what's
wrong with Congress. It isn't the House. It's the other body that
hasn't passed the extension of unemployment benefits.
I want to commend the Congressional Black Caucus for bringing this
forward this evening.
By the end of this week, nearly 2.5 million Americans will have lost
their unemployment benefits because our colleagues over on the other
side of the Capitol chose to politicize with unemployed workers, trying
to make some kind of political statement over there, rather than
extending benefits for people who earn them.
You would think that work, as a value, would be undergirded by those
that serve us at this level in our country, and I think they really
undermine the value of work itself by not allowing people who have
earned those benefits as a result of going to work every day to then,
when times get hard, reap some of the benefits that they, in fact, have
earned.
Just in Ohio, Congresswoman Fudge and I know that 112,000 Ohioans
will lose their unemployment benefits as we wait for the Senate to act.
On July 12, the Toledo Blade ran the following letter to the editor,
which I will summarize. It says, ``Cutting off jobless was act of
cruelty,'' and this writer, Darlene, from Perrysburg, Ohio, states: ``I
do not want to add to the Federal deficit. However, not to extend
unemployment benefits to workers who have lost their jobs, most through
no fault of their own, is cruel.'' She's right.
``These former workers may lose their homes,'' she says, ``adding to
the foreclosure dilemma.'' She's right.
``They paid taxes into the system for years.'' She's right.
``Now the government says they have used up their benefits. I wonder
when the government will tell third-and fourth-generation welfare
recipients that they have used up their benefits.'' And she was rather
strident in her comments there, but she's asking what about people who
have been employed.
Worse, a week before that, the Toledo Blade ran an article titled,
``Toledoans battle to survive as aid for unemployed vanishes: Area
agencies get more requests for help.'' I know I met with the head of
Job and Family Services in Lucas County, and they said that immediately
they expect an influx of 3,000 individuals that represented 3,000
families. You know how many people--that's over 10,000 people just for
the first influx of those who had fallen off their benefits.

The article talked about Anita Fitch, a 42-year-old single mother who
had gotten two extensions on her unemployment benefits but now she's on
her own. Anita stated, ``The unemployment money was not paying the
bills, and I went to get food stamps because I have two kids in the
house and everything is backing up--the food bill, the electric--and
now I am trying to find a job,'' but ``there just aren't any jobs out
there.''
So Anita's problem is like that of many Americans. We need to stop
being partisan over there in the Senate and work together to support
those who have lost their jobs while joining together to create jobs
and stabilize our housing market.
I wanted to say to Congresswoman Fudge that I have other examples I
could give, but I don't want to not allow other Members who have come
this evening to also state their piece. We know that we need to make
things in America again, and Ms. Fitch was among those in our district
who had a well-paying factory job, polishing automotive parts, a solid
job that provided for her family, the kind of jobs that we need here in
our country. We need less outsourcing. We need fewer bank bailouts--in
fact, no bank bailouts--while we work to create jobs and to sustain our
unemployed citizens.
So I have voted to continue to extend unemployment benefits, and I
think the important voices that we will add to the record tonight
include those individuals from our district who have been contacting
us, pleading with Congress to give them the benefits that they have
earned, and if we had enough jobs in our country, people wouldn't be
asking. This is a time when we need a little extra cushion inside this
economy to help people transition as we begin producing more and more
jobs per month, and we had to dig ourselves out of the huge hole that
the last President left this President.
I think that we helped to turn the corner now, but we have millions
of Americans who simply have not been able to find their footing in
this economy.
One gentleman that wrote has sent out 400 resumes and applied for
over 400 jobs in 10 States and has only gotten three interviews in 9
months and zero job offers, and he says it's aggravating that the
people who caused this mess are still making several-figure incomes,
and the average Joe is suffering. Who knows what is going to happen
after August when this gentleman's unemployment benefits run out.
So, Congresswoman Fudge, I want to thank you very much for holding
this Special Order tonight to encourage our Senate colleagues to put
partisanship and politics aside and to act to help those who need these
unemployment benefits to put food on the table for their families.
They're really not asking for very much.
``Sincerely,''
``Jennifer''
Jennifer is not alone. Debra also emailed me and she writes, ``Dear
Representative Kaptur,''
``Our family is in dire need of an extension of unemployment
benefits. My partner has been unemployed since July 15, 2008. Her
unemployment expired June 25, 2010 without notice.''
``She is over 60 years of age. We have 3 children, 2 elementary age
and one high school age. I am self employed and my business is so slow
that my adjusted gross income

[[Page H5698]]

last year was $15,500 and it looks like my AGI will be similar for
2010. We've applied for food stamps but we're not sure how long it will
take to get them. We need help.''
``What can you do for us?''
``Debra''
Dennis emailed to share his situation and his frustration. He writes,
``Just wanted to let you know what it's like in the real world. In
September '09, I was laid-off. I went from $32/hr to $9/hr unemployment
benefit. My u/b extension is due to run out in August '10. I have sold
items at a loss to get rid of debt. My life is on hold.''
``I have applied to almost 400 jobs in over 10 states and have only
gotten 3 interviews in 9 months with zero job offers. It's aggravating
that the people who caused this mess are still making 6/7 figure
incomes and the average Joe is suffering. Who knows what is going to
happen after August.''
Tonight we gather to encourage our Senate colleagues to put
partisanship and politics aside and act to help those who need these
unemployment benefits to put food on the table for their families.
Sometimes it is too easy to get caught up in politics, and we need to
remember that we are here for the people. Too many of the people in
this country are suffering. They need our support to survive while we
work to create jobs in our country for them.
Ms. FUDGE. Thank you, my friend. I just want to say that the
gentlelady from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) has always been a voice for not just
Ohioans but for all people in need, and I thank you very much for your
work.
Madam Speaker, I would now like to yield to the majority leader, the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer).
Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentlelady from Ohio for yielding, thank her
for taking this Special Order, and rise in strong support, as the House
has already done, saying that we remember those who are unemployed
through no fault of their own.
Nearly 2.5 million out-of-work Americans are without unemployment
insurance today. That means they don't have dollars to buy food, they
won't have dollars to pay their mortgage, they won't have dollars to
buy gas to even look for a job because of one reason: Republicans are
blocking those benefits in the United States Senate, period. It's the
only reason. We've passed it.
Several Republican Members of Congress and candidates have suggested
that unemployment insurance makes Americans too lazy or uninterested in
looking for work. This is at a time, frankly, when five unemployed
Americans are looking for work for every one job that is available.
One Republican Member of the House even asked, ``Is the government
now creating hobos?'' Is the government creating hobos for those, who
through no fault of their own, are unemployed. Why? Because the economy
was put into a deep spin in the latter part of the Bush administration.
If you believe, as I do, that the unemployed are suffering from an
economic crisis they did nothing to create, then we owe them a strong
policy on job creation. We owe them something better than the failed
Bush policies Republicans want to return to, the same policies that
resulted in the worst jobs record since Herbert Hoover.

{time} 1930

We owe the unemployed a hand, not just because it's the right thing
to do, but because economists agree that there are few more effective
ways to stimulate local economies than extending unemployment
insurance. Why is that? Because when somebody is unemployed and has no
dollars and they get dollars, they spend them. They buy food. They buy
prescription drugs, they buy other items for them and their families,
they buy gasoline for their cars. As they do, they help the economy
grow. Failing to give them the resources to support their families also
undermines our economic situation.
My Republican friends claim that they are for extending unemployment
insurance, but simply believe it needs to be paid for. However,
frankly, such a claim rings hollow. Because, after decades of treating
unemployment insurance as emergency spending, when they were in charge,
when no Democrat could determine what came to the floor, they passed
unemployment insurance when Bush's failing economy had large numbers of
unemployed, and they didn't pay for it.
Both parties, dating back to President Reagan, have passed
unemployment insurance unpaid for. Why? Because it's an emergency. It's
an emergency not to have a job. It's an emergency not to be able to
support yourself and feed your family. It's an emergency when through
no fault of your own all of a sudden the boss says, I'm sorry, I can't
keep you on the payroll because I can't afford to. That is an
emergency.
But at the very same time they claim we can't afford $34 billion for
the unemployed, which will go right into the economy to stimulate and
try to grow our economy and create jobs, they are pushing for a
deficit-busting $676 billion in extended tax cuts for the wealthiest in
America. Think of that.
We cannot have $34 billion for those who are unemployed and
struggling in our society, but guess what? For those of us who are not
struggling in our society, you get $676 billion and, guess what, we
don't have to pay for that. How does anybody think that makes sense?
How does anybody think that's a moral judgment to make in our society.
Republican leaders are even claiming that tax cuts should never be
paid for, and in the face of all evidence to the contrary, that tax
cuts don't add to the deficit. Alan Greenspan, of course, put the lie
to that. He probably shouldn't have testified that the tax cuts would
save money. In fact, he has urged us not to cut taxes. My own view is
that for middle-income Americans who are working now and struggling and
trying to keep their families afloat, we need to continue those tax
cuts.
Why? So we could continue to grow our economy and not put them deeper
in a hole. This is a political party, on the other side, that wants to
reiterate and return to the Bush-era fiscal thinking that wiped out a
record surplus of $5.6 trillion and replaced it with deep debt, large
annual deficits, lost jobs and the worst economy since the Depression.
Republicans have made their priorities crystal clear: Billions for
the well off, but no help for the longtime unemployed.
Sixty-two percent of the American people reject that reasoning and
the neglect of families in need through no fault of their own. As we
have in the past, let's help those families and our economy at the same
time. Let's extend the unemployment benefits.
Again, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Ohio for taking this time
to focus on this issue. Hopefully, hopefully, the other body and the
Republican Members of the other body will see their way clear to making
sure that Americans who have worked hard, played by the rules, and
through no fault of their own are unemployed, will get the help they
deserve and need, and that will help our economy as well as help those
families.
Ms. FUDGE. Thank you so very much. It is always a privilege to have
the leader come and share some time with us. Thank you very much, Mr.
Leader. I am as well pleased and proud that Congressman Jim McDermott,
the chairman of the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support,
will bring his expertise on the topic.
I yield to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott).
Mr. McDERMOTT. Thank you, Congresswoman Fudge.
I was approached by one of the Members on the floor, actually, Marcy
Kaptur. She said, why don't we go out and tell the story of people? Why
are we being quiet about this? So I was pleased when we presented this
idea to you that you said, hey, come, I have got an hour, let's talk
about it, because over the past 6 weeks we have fought to try to get
these benefits extended.
We cite the statistic of 2.5 million people who have lost their
benefits since early June, but we haven't heard much about these
jobless workers themselves. I am really grateful for an opportunity to
come out here and talk about what we are all going through in our
districts, on the telephone, in the newspaper, and in the grocery
store.

I picked up The New York Times on Sunday and there on page 13 was the
story of a woman named Terri Sadler. Terri lost her job in an
automotive parts plant in October of 2008. She used to make $14.65 an
hour and was able to make ends meet, but since she has been laid off
she has had no luck in finding a job. She is like millions of people
who have this same story who can't get anybody to pay attention in the
United States Senate.

[[Page H5699]]

Now, there are five unemployed Americans competing for every job, and
she told the newspaper, when they asked her, that she had three
interviews, that's all she had in 18 months was three interviews for a
job, and she spends as much as 12 hours a day looking on the Internet.
When Republicans in the other body blocked passage of the
unemployment insurance, she lost her only lifeline on June 5. She has
had no money since June 5, and she has been able to cobble together
some help from her friends and the community in order to get by.
A county ministerial association paid her water bill. I mean, imagine
not having water in your house because they shut it off because you
didn't pay the bill. A local nonprofit pulled enough money together for
her last two electric bills. Imagine sitting in the dark in a house
with no water and no electricity through no fault of your own except
the United States Senate won't pay attention to your problems.
Now, Americans who have worked hard and played by the rules and lost
their jobs through no fault of their own are going through this all
over this country. She is rattled by the daily fear of losing her home,
of not being able to afford food, and she told the Times that she had
contemplated suicide.
Republicans have forced Terri to live in purgatory for the last 2
months as they talk about the deficit. They now worry about the
deficit. They spent like there was no end of money when it was for
people at the top of the pile, but now we are talking about Terri
Sadler and her problems.
The New York Times actually wrote in an editorial, ``Deficits matter,
but not more than economic recovery, and not more urgently than the
economic survival of millions of Americans.'' Now, the question you
have to ask is, what will it take to make the Republicans finally
understand that? You would think an election might have something to
draw their mind.
Today, we read a story in The Washington Post that Montgomery County,
Maryland, one of the five richest counties in the United States, is now
serving 15,000 free lunches a day for children who would otherwise not
have food. That's an increase of nearly 15 percent over previous
summers, and many of these families are unemployed families.
Our failure to get this bill passed has had very real and immediate
consequences. Tonight, thousands of people in every corner of this
country will suffer because Republicans in the other body have
stonewalled against acting. I refuse to believe that we are going to
tell Terri Sadler and the millions of Americans like her that we are
going to let them fall through the cracks.
I wore this pin tonight because I believe that anybody who has lived
in a home where somebody was out of a job, or has been out of a job,
knows what it's really all about. I fail to believe there is anybody in
the Senate who has ever been without a job.
This is a cab medallion. When I was 21-years-old, my father lost his
job for the second time, and there was no money to pay the rent. We
were going to lose the house. There was no money for the food, for
anything else, and I went to work driving a cab.

{time} 1940

That's what happens in families, people do anything.
Terri said to the newspaper, she's sitting at home now. One of her
interviews was for a company that will pay her $7.65 an hour. Now
remember, she was making $14 before. They're paying less than half
that, and she's sitting there waiting to hear if she gets a job. She
knows that the money she gets from that lesser job won't even meet her
bills, won't make it possible for her to pay her house payment and pay
her utilities and pay gas and pay the Internet so she can stay on the
computer and keep looking for a job.
That's the dilemma that Americans are sitting at home tonight living
with, middle class people. It isn't people who haven't tried; it isn't
people who haven't made an effort; it isn't people who have somehow
tried to get by on the easy. They have been out there slogging along,
and they suddenly can't do it, and the Senate says, well, we have to
worry about the deficit. You know, we want to keep those tax cuts going
for the wealthy in this country, that $700 billion, but we haven't got
$30 billion for the unemployed.
There's something really wrong. It's really important that you
brought this Special Order together today so that people can talk about
it and talk about what they're hearing on the phone when they go home
on the weekend.
It's no fun to go to the grocery store because people come up and
tell you--and I don't live in a bad neighborhood, but people are
telling me in my neighborhood what's going on. Thank you very much, and
I yield back.
Ms. FUDGE. I thank you. You have painted a picture so clear that
every single person in the Senate should understand that it's not just
about deficits, it's not just about what they think is right or wrong.
Government has a job, and it is to take care of its people. And if we
don't do that, we have not done our work. I thank you for telling
Terri's story, and I'm sure she does as well.
Madam Speaker, I would now like to recognize my friend and classmate,
the gentlelady from Nevada, Ms. Titus.
Ms. TITUS. Thank you very much for recognizing me. And thank you,
Congresswoman Fudge, for bringing this issue to the attention of the
country. We certainly need to be talking about it, and I appreciate
bringing the Nevada perspective to the discussion. Extending these
unemployment benefits is critical to the constituents in southern
Nevada.
I represent the most populous district in the country. There are 1
million people in the district compared to about 650,000 in most
districts. We also have the highest unemployment rate in the country
and the highest foreclosure rate, so it's a lot of people with a lot of
problems. And we just heard today some rather dismal news that that
rate is continuing to climb. Now the unemployment rate in southern
Nevada is over 14 percent--it's probably higher than that, that's the
official figure, and if you look at construction unemployment, I'm sure
it's at least double that.
Our recovery lags behind the rest of the country because you have to
have a job with money in your pocket in Iowa and Georgia and Vermont in
order to be able to come to Las Vegas for a holiday.
The two economic main drivers in my State are tourism and
construction, and they have been the hardest hit sectors during this
recession. The fact is, many of these jobs are not going to come back
right away. We know that already 38,000 people in Nevada have lost
their benefits because of this Republican obstructionism that we've
been talking about.
When I see Republicans stand in the way of this final extension of
unemployment benefits and I hear them make statements that people are
spoiled by unemployment benefits, or they aren't willing to take
certain jobs, it just makes me angry. It makes me angry because nothing
could be further from the truth, and it is an insult to the American
people who are the hardest working people on this planet. These are the
same people who build America, they keep it running, and they serve its
citizens and its visitors every day.
We're talking about family members, friends, and neighbors who are
worried and scared that their benefits will run out. They've got homes
they can't afford to pay for, doctors they can't afford to see,
children they can't afford to send to college now, and time they just
cannot afford to waste.
Every weekend I'm in the district talking to people. We have housing
workshops, Congress on the Corner. I'm just out in the district, and I
repeatedly hear these same tragic stories from people who have lost
their jobs through no fault of their own, and they seem kind of at a
loss of what to do. They can't really understand what's happening, and
they cannot believe that the Republicans could be so cruel and
insensitive to their needs. They have worked all their lives, they have
paid their taxes, they have contributed to unemployment, they have
followed the rules, and they just need a little bit of help right now,
a little bridge until the economy turns around so they can get
themselves back together. All they're asking for is just a little bit
of help to kind of keep body and soul together until this economy turns
around.
Just this weekend, I heard from one family, a young couple, Matt and
his

[[Page H5700]]

wife from Henderson, with their young children. They had worked very
hard to get out of kind of a rough neighborhood, to move to a better
area away from some gangs so their children could grow up in a safer
environment, lost his job. We're trying to help him with a loan
modification. If he can't get these unemployment benefits, he's not
going to qualify for that loan modification, he's going to lose his
house. He is worried to death that he may have to move into his car
with his two small children. He is relying on these unemployment
benefits just to help him scrape by just for a short time so he can
make those payments and stay in that house so that his family will be
safe.
Those are the kinds of stories that we hear, and that's why the
opposition's obstructionism is just so insulting and so hard to believe
and understand. We've got to stand up and fight for these people who
are at the risk of losing these important benefits.

It's bad enough that the Republican economic policies from the last
administration, policies of lax regulation of Wall Street bankers,
policies that incentivize companies to take jobs overseas, policies
that gave tax breaks to the wealthy, the very wealthiest, but now won't
help working people, it's a shame that those policies--and it's bad
enough that they got us into the situation we're in now, but when those
same people turn their back on the American folks who need a little
help at this point, it's just unbelievable, it is disgraceful. I say to
them, have you no shame? Have you no shame?
Thank you for letting me join you tonight.
Ms. FUDGE. Thank you, and thank you for staying in the fight. This
really is a battle, and we are going to win it.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield now to my friend, my colleague,
the person in this Congress who really, indeed, is the conscience of
the Congress, the gentlelady from Maryland (Ms. Edwards).
Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. I thank my colleague from Ohio for keeping
our focus on working people and on the struggles of working people,
particularly this environment, this recession, coming out of this
recession, people who have lost their jobs, people who need
unemployment.
Last week, Madam Speaker, I had the privilege of meeting Louise
Strong. She's one of these women who represents workers all across this
country. She's a constituent in my congressional district in Maryland.
She is unjustly suffering from the loss of her unemployment benefits.
Louise told me that after 28 years she lost her full-time job with the
Marriott Corporation in October 2008. She was then offered a temporary
position, but it only lasted 4 months. For the first time in almost 30
years--I think since she was a teenager--Louise was unemployed and
began receiving unemployment insurance. Since then, Louise has fought
tirelessly to get a job, sending out hundreds of resumes, filling out
countless job applications, and over a year later she's still without
work. And since June, she is no longer receiving her unemployment
benefits, benefits that she is entitled to as a working person.
Mr. Speaker, as of six o'clock this evening, I looked at the counter,
like Americans can do across this country, just go online, 2,645,088
Americans as of 6 o'clock this evening, including more than 12,000 from
my home State of Maryland, joined Louise in losing their unemployment
benefits.

{time} 1950

Right now, 16 million Americans are out of work, and almost 50
percent have been out of work for 6 months. These are Americans who
have spent their entire lives working. They are Americans who want to
work, who are out every single day, looking for opportunities to work.
They are not lazy. They are not shiftless, and they won't become lazy
by receiving unemployment benefits. The misperception about
unemployment is great, but unemployment is insurance.
Take Louise. Louise paid into the Unemployment Insurance Compensation
Fund for 28 years, and now she wants to draw on the insurance that she
has paid into. Americans understand that. It is an insurance fund.
People draw on it.
Do you know what they're doing with that unemployment, Mr. Speaker?
They are buying eggs and bread and cereal. They are paying their
rents and their mortgages. They are taking care of their children. They
are paying their utility bills. It is money that is going directly back
into the economy.
Now, Republicans in both Chambers, I mean especially these days in
the United States Senate, are keeping busy by arguing that we neither
have the resources nor sufficient reason to extend unemployment
benefits to these hardworking Americans like Louise Strong. The fiscal
resources, they argue, would contribute to the deficit, and that is
something they ideologically cannot allow.
Well, I'll tell you. When you have to put food on the table, it is
not about ideology. It is about being able to go to the grocery store.
They'd know this if they went into the grocery store. Like Mr.
McDermott, our colleague from Washington, mentioned, when you go into
the grocery store, people are stopping us, and they're asking, ``Why
can't you just extend unemployment benefits? I worked for this.''
Yet, if you believe the quotes from Members of the Republican Party,
they're willing to support tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans
regardless of their budget impact. They argue, ``Congress has the
authority, and if we decide we want to cut taxes,'' we don't have to
``offset those costs'' for extending tax cuts to the wealthiest
Americans. They won't offset $680 million in tax cuts for people with
incomes over $1.5 million a year.
This is really shameless that they can't find the heart or the will
to extend unemployment benefits for the 2,644,088 Americans who are
seeking unemployment benefits. Shame on them. Shame on them for not
extending unemployment benefits. Americans are smart enough to realize
the duplicity in these kinds of tactics. They understand the difference
between providing meaningful economic solutions and playing off of
fears about a rising deficit.
The budget impacts of extending tax cuts far outweigh the costs of
extending unemployment benefits. Unemployment benefits go right back
into the economy. Senate Republicans aren't concerned at all about the
deficit. That is just their shameless politics, and it needs to stop
because it is being done off the backs of hardworking Americans.
So there is a fundamental difference that we are fighting for, and it
is one that is worth fighting for. We are fighting for working
Americans, and Democrats in Congress know that, for every dollar
invested in unemployment benefits, the economy gets $1.50 back. That's
a 150 percent return on our investment for extending unemployment
benefits. This is smart, especially at this time when so many Americans
are out of work.
So, Mr. Speaker, it is time to stop holding hostage workers who have
been laid off in this recession and the political tactics. We must do
what is right for the middle class and not the wealthiest of Americans.
It is time to stop blocking emergency relief for those who are out of
work, and it is time to extend unemployment benefits so that Americans
who have worked all of their lives, like Louise Strong, can get the
benefit of the doubt, the benefit of the bargain of what they put into
the Unemployment Compensation Fund. People want to work. Unemployment
insurance is the bridge that gets them there while our country gets
strong, and it is time to extend that bridge to help Americans get back
to work.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the gentlewoman from Ohio for
making sure that we keep our eyes on the prize for working Americans.
With that, I yield.
Ms. FUDGE. Thank you very much.
I just want to say to my colleague that the point you made is so very
important. These are people who have been tax-paying, law-abiding
citizens of this country. I just wonder:
How do people sleep at night? If they want to pull the safety net,
the rug, out from under people who have always been a part of this
Nation's wealth, why do they now say that they are hobos or that they
are lazy when they have worked for and have earned everything they have
ever received? I just don't understand how we can now say to these same
people whom we applauded when they had jobs every day that ``we no
longer care about you anymore.''

[[Page H5701]]

I just thank you for making clear that these are people who have paid
into this fund. It is not a gift. It is something they have earned, and
I thank you so much for that.
Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield to my colleague, to someone
who joins me almost every Monday night and who brings a wealth of
information to this body--the honorable Sheila Jackson Lee from the
State of Texas, the gentlewoman from Texas.
Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to be with
you this evening, and I thank you for your leadership as we discuss
with our colleagues a very important crisis that is now approaching to
which, I hope, our message tonight really provides the stopgap, the
finger in the dike, if you will, that is about to overrun itself, which
is the numbers of Americans who are crying out to this Congress to do
the right thing.
I thank the gentlelady from Ohio for her persistent leadership and
for her timeliness, because this is a very, very important need that
needs action, and it needs action now.

I guess I would like to add to this definition of what ``unemployment
benefits'' are and what it means to extend them and the numbers of
Americans who are now waiting, between 2 and 15 million Americans who
are now waiting for those benefits to be extended, and the extension is
simply adding to the 26 weeks that are now expiring. You mentioned that
it was not a gift, and I'd like to suggest something even more.
I wonder if we have read recently the story of the good samaritan.
That story has traveled with me throughout my public life. In fact, I
believe that we on this floor and we in this body are really public
servants. We work for the people, and we are to do the right thing--
their bidding--as relates to the enhancement of the quality of life
that they have been promised under our Constitution. In fact, the
Declaration of Independence really says that we are created with the
inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That
pursuit of happiness has a lot to do with prosperity and with the
ability to provide for one's family. So, in this instance, the good
samaritan is the Federal Government, but it is not in a position of
handing out something. As the story goes, the good samaritan helps
those who have been violated by others, and they could not help
themselves. It's not that they purposely were laying alongside the
road. They had been violated by others.
In this instance, the individuals who are on unemployment now and who
are looking for an unemployment benefit extension did not create the
atmosphere in which they were not working. The very fact that they have
ownership to unemployment benefits is the fact that they worked and
that they created a trust with the Federal Government. They put their
money in a trust while they were working. In addition, they made a
contract. ``I will work, and under the present laws, you will help me
when I am out of work'' when there is evidence, of course, that there
is no work for these individuals to secure at this time.
We have made great strides. Under the Bush administration, we were
losing 750,000 jobs a month. We have gained jobs because of the
stimulus package that the Democratic leadership and Members had voted
for, and I am grateful that we took the risk under much accusations and
criticism. In that process, we have elevated some to work, but, even
with that effort, we find ourselves struggling because there are more
people out of work than there are jobs at this time.
So what we are asking the obstructionists to not do is to not block
the bridge that these unemployed Americans need. Do not dissolve the
trust. Do not breach the contract that we have made with Americans who
have invested in their trust funds or in unemployment benefits by their
taxes so that, if they were unemployed through no fault of their own,
they could secure resources for what all the many stories of Americans
will tell you.
These are not resources for vacations. These are not resources for
recreation. These are not resources just to stay home and to have an
easy day. These people are taking these dollars to keep roofs over
their heads, to pay their next mortgage payments, their health care
bills, and their utility bills in the heat of the summer. We're having
one of the hottest summers that you could ever imagine--high utility
bills. For some families who have children with asthma or respiratory
illnesses, they need air conditioning. Their bills are high. Certainly,
they simply need to provide food on the table for children, who are
innocent, for seniors who may be living with families, who are
innocent, for single parent heads of households, who are innocent, who
literally have worked.

{time} 2000

A story I heard today at a hearing in Memphis on foreclosure about a
woman with a number of children who worked as hard as she could, but
the industry that she was in, furniture sales, obviously, home sales
are down, furniture sales are down, she finds herself upon hard times.
She needs unemployment insurance to make sure that she doesn't lose the
small condominium that she has.
These are painful stories. Sixty-two percent of Americans agree that
we should extend the unemployment benefits. The Congressional Budget
Office policies that could be implemented relatively quickly are
targeted toward people whose consumption tends to be restricted by
their income, such as reducing payroll taxes for firms that increase
payroll or increasing aid to the unemployed, would have the largest
effects on output and employment per dollar of budgetary cost; meaning
that extending unemployment benefits is one of the most cost-effective
ways of churning the economy but preventing people from collapsing
under the weight and the burden of having nothing.
It also speaks to the mental state of people who are struggling. They
need to know that there is an out; there's a way that they can be
provided for. And so, we, the Democrats, would provide for up to 99
weekly unemployment checks, averaging about $300, to people whose 26
weeks of State-paid benefits have run out. The benefits would be
extended toward the end of November.
What can I say? It's a simple request.
I ask the Senate Republicans to stop now from blocking hardworking
Americans from being able to provide for their families. I ask you to
accept the Democratic proposal of extending these benefits for 99
weeks, up to 99 weeks, and to do what we did in this House.
I'm appreciative of the gentlelady's leadership and grateful that our
leadership came to the floor tonight. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
wanted our colleagues to know that the leadership stands firmly behind
doing the right thing.
As I close, I want to remind our colleagues of some stories that we
heard early on. We were discussing another issue. Some may not be aware
that some of our young soldiers have had to be on food stamps in the
past. Democrats, of course, have corrected some of that by increasing
their wages.
But never let it be said that we are here making tomfoolery out of
the budget of this Nation. We're here standing for people who are truly
in need. And tomorrow will be the SOS day, the emergency day, the call
day for action. And I hope that colleagues will remember the story of
the Good Samaritan and provide and reinforce the trust and the contract
made with the American people, that if you work, you invest, that when
you need the rainy day umbrella of unemployment benefits extended, we
will be there for you.
I yield back to the gentlelady.
Ms. FUDGE. Thank you so very much. It's always enlightening to hear
how you approach a subject. I thank you so much for always sharing
Monday evenings with me.
I would now like to yield to my friend, the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Chu).
Ms. CHU. Thank you so much. And I truly appreciate the gentlelady
from Ohio for her leadership in putting this Special Order together on
such a critical topic.
I rise today to call attention to the plight of millions of American
families. Across the country, men, women, and children are caught in
the crosshairs of Republican political calculations. Instead of
providing emergency relief to Americans laid off during this latest
recession, a partisan Senate minority is blocking this vital aid.
My colleagues on the other side of the aisle should be ashamed. Time
and

[[Page H5702]]

time again, when asked to solve our Nation's problems, they've instead
shown why they've been known as the party of ``no,'' and it couldn't
come at a worse time. Throughout our country, we face the worst
financial crisis since the Great Depression. It's the legacy of 8 years
of the Bush administration.
My hometown of Los Angeles lost over 84,000 jobs this past year.
That's the greatest decrease for any metropolitan area in America.
Congressional Democrats want to confront this problem head on. That's
why a majority of Senators have tried not once, not twice, but three
times to temporarily extend unemployment benefits, because any
economist will tell you that, in addition to helping individual
families, the program stimulates the entire economy.
But the obstructionists just don't care. They don't care about the
368,000 Californians who've lost benefits since their filibuster began
a month ago. They don't care about the 2.1 million Americans in other
States who've also been cut off. They don't care about people like
Marcelo and Maria Gonzalez.
For 34 years, Marcelo worked for the same credit card manufacturing
company. The job provided a paycheck and peace of mind. But 16 months
ago, his facility cut back production and Marcelo lost his job.
Fortunately, unemployment benefits kept food on the table for the
Gonzalez's and their two children, that is, until Republicans cut off
the program and its aid to families like Marcelo's.

Now, this obstruction doesn't just keep food off American tables. It
keeps American people out of work. People like Annette Tornberg. Last
summer, Annette lost her job at a Sacramento book bindery, and last
month, she lost her weekly $270 in unemployment benefits. This means
that Annette can no longer buy the gas she needs to drive to job
interviews. You see, Annette, like the vast majority of those on
unemployment, use these funds as a bridge to their next job, not a
replacement for it. The notion that emergency relief somehow
discourages people from looking for work is not only misguided, it
reflects a lack of faith in hardworking Americans like Annette.
This Republican opposition, however, goes beyond a lack of faith. It
is a deliberate means of allowing millions to suffer, worrying about
whether they can put food on the table, and we cannot let this happen.
It's time for this stonewalling to end. Senate Republicans need to
get out of the way so Annette Tornberg can get that new job, so Marcelo
Gonzalez can start putting food on the table again, and so that
millions of Americans who are out of work, through no fault of their
own, can once again get the emergency relief and peace of mind they
need to make it through these tough times.
So, tonight, I'm calling on Republicans to stop hurting American
families, stop playing politics with this problem, and start letting
the Senate and millions of Americans get back to work.
And again, I thank the gentlelady from Ohio for this very, very
important Special Order and allowing us to say what we need to on this
very important issue.
Ms. FUDGE. Thank you so much.
Mr. Speaker, I would now yield to my friend and classmate, the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Grayson).
Mr. GRAYSON. My grandfather, in the 1930s, spent several years of his
life, every single day, going to the dump looking for things there that
he could sell, looking for things that he could take to the market and
sell, because there was no other way for him to survive the 1930s and
the Great Depression.
There was no unemployment insurance back then. There was no State
benefits back then. There was no help for the people who had no jobs.
All they could do, like my grandfather, in desperate straits,
supporting a family of seven, was to go to the dump and desperately try
to find something he could sell.

{time} 2010

That, my friends, is the America that the Republicans are trying to
revive. The America of desperate straits, and for them cheap labor. The
America where people have nothing, hope for nothing, and are desperate
to live to the next day. That is what the Republicans are trying to
resurrect by blocking unemployment insurance day after day, week after
week, and now month after month.
I've got news for my Republican friends. Every single person who's
going to receive unemployment insurance under this bill is unemployed.
Every single one of them doesn't have a job. And that's why they need
this money.
Now, I know what the Republicans are thinking. They're thinking why
don't they just sell some stock. If they're in really dire straits,
maybe they could take some of their art collection and send it off to
the auctioneer. And if they're in deep, deep trouble maybe these
unemployed can sell one of their yachts. That's what the Republicans
are thinking right now. But that's not the life of ordinary people, the
99 percent of America that actually has to work for a living, that
doesn't just clip coupons and live off of interest and dividends like
my Republican friends do.
That's why we need this bill to pass, because of the 99 percent of
America that deals with reality every day, the people who will lose
their homes if this bill doesn't pass, the people who will be living in
their cars if this bill doesn't pass. That's why we need this to pass.
And I will say this to the Republicans who have blocked this bill now
for months and kept food out of the mouths of children, I will say to
them now, may God have mercy on your souls.
Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, we've heard but a few stories of the millions
of Americans who stand in need in this country today. The wealthiest
Nation in the world has people who are hungry, has people who are
homeless.
Mr. Speaker, I asked the question earlier to those who would fight
and try to block this legislation, How do you sleep at night? Now I
want to say to those same people who would oppose this bill, I hope you
don't sleep. I hope you don't get a wink of sleep until you decide that
it is important to do what is right for the people of this country. I
hope you can't sleep until you understand that our former coworkers,
our neighbors, our friends, our family are hurting. And if you can't
figure it out as you lay awake, get up and walk to the drugstore, to
the grocery store, to the barber shop, any place where people are
gathered, and you will find someone who needs your help.
So I would just hope that you stay awake all night tonight so that
when the vote comes down tomorrow you will do the right thing.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to
offer my strong support for the passage of an extension for Emergency
Unemployment Compensation benefits. Emergency Unemployment Compensation
benefits have expired as of June 1st, leaving millions of Americans
without the financial lifeline they rely upon. Each week that Congress
fails to pass this extension, another 200,000 Americans lose their
benefits.
These are not people freeloading off the government. They had jobs,
and the years that they worked are reflected in the weeks of benefits
they receive. They are also required to look for work in order to
receive benefits. With a 9.9% unemployment rate, job prospects remain
dismal for the unemployed. With hundreds of applicants for each
opening, some hiring managers have even gone so far to exclude the
unemployed from applying within their job advertisements.
Without this extension hundreds of thousands of Americans will fall
into poverty. Many more will have to make the excruciating choice
between basic needs for their family; choices such as going without
food or medicine in order to pay the rent or mortgage.
Economists have pointed to the economic value of unemployment
insurance benefits. These are dollars that are going back into the
market, raising consumption and creating jobs. If we allow millions of
Americans to slip into economic peril, it will only serve to hurt the
economy and stall the recovery.
This is economically important and ethically important, and I fully
support the immediate passage of the restoration of Emergency
Unemployment Compensation benefits.

____________________