[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 15, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H243]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CONGRESS MUST EXTEND EMERGENCY UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

  (Ms. EDWARDS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. EDWARDS. Madam Speaker, I rise today as a cosponsor of H.R. 3824, 
the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act.
  It is unencumbered; it is unconditional; and we could put that on the 
floor today to extend unemployment benefits for all of those 
Americans--1.3 million of them--who lost their unemployment benefits as 
of December 28. In the couple of weeks since then, another 218,700 
Americans have also lost their unemployment benefits. We are talking 
about a modest benefit here, Madam Speaker, $313 a week, on average, to 
pay for food, housing and gas to look for a job.
  Over the holidays, I spent some time with unemployed workers at our 
local electrical union; and every time a job appears, 200 workers show 
up to try to get that job. These people are hardworking, and they have 
earned the benefit.
  It is time to put H.R. 3824 on the floor today. Americans must be 
saying, Come on, Congress, get your act together, and pass an extended 
unemployment bill.

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