[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 5 (Thursday, January 9, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H80]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                              {time}  1045
 URGING THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP TO PASS UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR 
                        THE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Webster). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, as our Nation marks the 
50th anniversary of the war on poverty this week, I rise to urge the 
Republican leadership in the House of Representatives to immediately 
extend unemployment assistance to the long-term unemployed workers who 
continue to struggle to find jobs as our economy recovers from one of 
the worst economic crises in its history.
  The declaration of the war on poverty was a historic moment in our 
Nation's history when we affirmed our national priority to support 
those in need. The war on poverty helped reaffirm that our government 
has a responsibility to protect our citizens, especially during times 
of economic hardship. Providing support and economic opportunity 
creates a stronger citizenry and a stronger country.
  In contrast, the expiration of the emergency unemployment program 
last month undermines the economic security of our citizens and of our 
Nation. The expiration of the emergency unemployment program cut off 
more than 1.3 million Americans from unemployment insurance, with 
approximately 72,000 additional Americans losing benefits each week 
during the first half of 2014.
  In my home State of Illinois, where the unemployment rate remains 
high, at 9.2 percent, an estimated 82,000 Illinoisans lost benefits on 
December 28, with 38,000 of those citizens living in Cook County alone. 
An additional 89,100, or roughly 3,000 Illinoisans a week, will exhaust 
regular benefits without access to emergency benefits in just the first 
half of 2014.
  Failing to help these citizens is an unacceptable failure of 
leadership. Failure to continue emergency unemployment benefits is not 
a theoretical issue for millions of Americans. It is a daily nightmare.
  These Americans lost their jobs through no fault of their own. They 
tirelessly try to find work when the jobs are few and far between. They 
struggle to cover basic food, housing, and transportation costs for 
their families on an average of $290 a week, a pittance which typically 
replaces only half of the average family's expenditures. Failing to 
help these citizens is an unacceptable failure.
  Failure to continue emergency unemployment benefits poses a realistic 
threat to our fragile economic recovery, costing over 200,000 much-
needed jobs and restricting our economic growth. The expiration drained 
over $400 million from State economies. In Illinois alone, the loss of 
an average $313 in the weekly benefit means a negative impact of $25 
million for our citizens.
  Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, ``The test of our progress is not 
whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is 
whether we provide enough for those who have little.'' Congress must 
act quickly to support our citizens and our economic recovery by 
continuing emergency unemployment benefits. The time to do it is now.

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