[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 8, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H32]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               EXTEND EMERGENCY UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION

  (Ms. McCOLLUM asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, as Congress begins a new session, House 
Republican leadership must not ignore last year's urgent, unfinished 
business.
  Right after Christmas, 1.3 million Americans had their unemployment 
benefits terminated. The Republican refusal to extend unemployment 
insurance has created a state of emergency for struggling families 
across this Nation, including thousands in Minnesota.
  Earned unemployment benefits are a lifeline for Americans seeking 
work. Extending this critical safety net will help our neighbors meet 
basic needs: paying rent, buying food, and providing warmth in this 
very frigid winter.
  Long-term unemployment is at a record high. There are three job 
seekers for every job available. It is wrong for this Republican 
majority to turn their back on unemployed Americans.
  Fifty years ago, President Lyndon Johnson launched a war on poverty. 
Today, this fight means extending emergency unemployment insurance and 
preventing more Americans and their children from falling into poverty.

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