[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 15, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H234]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Levin) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, as we meet, 1.5 million Americans are out in 
the cold, long-term unemployed, and added to that total 72,000 each 
week, an estimated, if we don't act, 3.6 million by the end of this 
year. Why is this? Partly because of myths, and I want to address them.
  Myth one: the need for these benefits is over.
  The truth, nearly 38 percent of the jobless are long-term unemployed, 
twice the rate when the emergency program started. The highest ever 
recorded before this recession was 26 percent of the unemployed were 
long-term.
  Myth two: unemployment insurance creates dependency. As Senator Rand 
Paul claimed, it is a ``disservice.''
  The long-term unemployed in these eyes need to get off their duffs. 
It is this Congress that needs to get off its duff because the 
overwhelming research rebuts this notion. Indeed, unemployment 
insurance helps people look for work. People have said, we need gas 
money to go and look for a job. Recipients must actively look for work 
under the rules within their States. By the way, the average benefit is 
$300 a week.
  Myth three: jobs are there.
  Get off your couch, it said, look. Wal-Mart came to D.C., had 600 
jobs available; 23,000 people applied. A dairy in Hagerstown, Maryland, 
reopened; 36 jobs were available; 1,600 job applications. There are 
still 1 million fewer jobs today than when the recession began in 2007.
  Myth four: North Carolina shows if you end unemployment insurance, 
the unemployment rate goes down because people go to work.
  That is a myth. The unemployment rate in North Carolina went down 
primarily because people stopped looking for work. They gave up. This 
isn't America. It should not be North Carolina.
  Myth 5: ninety-nine weeks is far too many.
  Actually, the program hasn't had this emergency program 99 weeks for 
over 2 years. Last year, the longest was 73 weeks and only 3 States had 
that level. The average nationwide is 54 weeks. Now just one of four 
unemployed receive unemployment benefits at all, the lowest on record.
  Myth six: you need to reduce the program as the unemployment rate 
goes down.
  That is already done. We have four tiers, and already the amount of 
available benefits goes down in a State as the unemployment rate goes 
down.
  The next myth: an extension must be offset.
  This is an emergency program. None of the five UI extensions signed 
into law by President Bush--none of the five--was offset.

                              {time}  1045

  People don't need it, is the next myth. In 2012--this is the Census 
Bureau information--this program lifted 2.5 million people out of 
poverty.
  The next myth, what we need--and we hear this all the time--is 
economic growth, not unemployment insurance. Well, the GOP has stymied 
every key program to assist recovery, the infrastructure, whatever. The 
fact is that unemployment insurance helps economic growth. The CBO 
estimates 200,000 fewer jobs this year without an extension.
  As we fight in this institution over issues of economic growth, let 
us not punish the long-term unemployed.
  I was reading a statement by the president of the conservative think 
tank, American Enterprise Institute, an interview with him in October. 
And he said this:

       One of the things, in my view, that we get wrong in the 
     free enterprise movement is this war against the social 
     safety net, which is just insane. The government social 
     safety net for the truly indigent is one of the greatest 
     achievements of our society. And we somehow want to zero out 
     food stamps or something. It's nuts to want to be doing 
     something like that. We have to declare peace on the safety 
     net.

  The Congress needs to act and the Republicans need to end their war 
on the long-term unemployed.

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