[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 8, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H30]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  UNEMPLOYMENT EXTENSION COMPENSATION

  (Mr. CICILLINE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, it has been 11 days now since 1.3 million 
Americans have been cut off from their unemployment benefits, an 
important safety net, and this House has yet to address this crisis. 
Instead of offering a solution to extend emergency unemployment 
benefits, House Republicans keep moving the goal posts and changing 
their position.
  What on Earth are we waiting for? Every week that goes by, more and 
more Rhode Islanders lose their emergency unemployment benefits. The 
longer we wait to fix this problem, the more serious it becomes for the 
long-term unemployed.
  Fifty years ago today, President Johnson announced his war on 
poverty. To commemorate that anniversary, this Congress is willing to 
write off and forget about 1.3 million Americans who are struggling to 
find work.
  What kind of public servants have we become when we take away the 
last safety net for struggling families 3 days before Christmas? This 
is shameful.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge you to bring a bill to the floor to extend 
emergency unemployment benefits; 1.3 million Americans can't wait 
another day, another week, or another month for this Congress to act. 
Let's do the right thing and end this nightmare for those we serve.

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