[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 155 (Wednesday, December 1, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H7761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            EXTENDING TAX CUTS VERSUS UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

  (Ms. PINGREE of Maine asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Mr. Speaker, in the remaining days of this 
Congress we have some choices to make, and those choices couldn't be 
more clear. Are we going to extend tax cuts for the rich, giving 
millionaires an average break of over $100,000, or are we going to 
continue unemployment benefits of about $245 a week for out-of-work 
Americans? Are we going to approve a giveaway to high-paid CEOs that 
the Congressional Budget Office puts at the bottom of their list of 
what would stimulate the economy, or are we going to extend the 
unemployment benefits the CBO puts at the top of that same list? Are we 
going to hand out tax breaks to the wealthy that will add $700 billion 
to the deficit, or are we going to continue funding unemployment checks 
that generate $2 in economic activity for every $1 in benefits paid?
  The American people sent us here to set priorities and make tough 
choices. Putting American workers ahead of millionaires and 
billionaires should be our priority, and it shouldn't be a tough choice 
to make.

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