[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 191 (Tuesday, December 13, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H8741]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE EXTENSION

  (Ms. CHU asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. CHU. Over 13 million Americans are looking for work. That means 
for every one job opening in the United States, there are four 
Americans actively seeking employment. Another 10 million people have 
given up looking for a full-time job altogether because companies just 
aren't hiring.
  These are real people. They are more than just numbers. Ellen Andrews 
lost her job last year. She's been supporting herself and her 1-year-
old son Henry with her unemployment benefits. They help her keep the 
lights on and keep food in the house until she can get a job.
  But the Republican plan will change all that. It will cut 40 weeks of 
Federal benefits out from under people like Ellen; and it will force 
partisan policies, like the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, on to a 
bill that should be all about helping American families.
  With the holidays around the corner, Congress should be about giving 
America hope and security, not playing partisan politics.

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