[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 8, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H2494]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SUPPORT UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, it has now been more than 2 months since 
mindless sequestration across-the-board cuts were enacted, crippling so 
many important services and benefits that Americans rely on, such as 
Social Security processing at Social Security offices around this 
country.
  Well, there's another very important earned benefit that's being 
cut--unemployment benefits. Republicans keep rewarding the superrich 
while cutting unemployment benefits. When you cut benefits, you not 
only hurt men and women who are looking for work, you actually hurt 
economic recovery.
  Fact: unemployment checks pump money back into local communities, 
helping the economy to recover. Where does the money go? Groceries, 
gasoline, school clothing, rent payments, basics.
  The U.S. Department of Labor, during the Bush administration, found 
that every dollar spent on unemployment benefits pumped $2 back in to 
the local economy. It's a good deal. Therefore, sequestration cuts in 
unemployment compensation inflict pain not only on jobless families, 
but also harms economic growth in a major way.
  I call on my Republican colleagues to come to the table, compromise, 
reverse the mindless sequester that is cutting unemployment benefits. 
Let's celebrate Mother's Day by paying workers their full earned 
benefits, not imposing more worry on the unemployed among America's 
working families.

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