[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 55 (Friday, April 4, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H2948-H2951]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    EXTENDING UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2013, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin) for 60 minutes 
as the minority leader.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, several of us come together to talk about 
unemployment insurance.
  The majority leader said to accept the Senate bill is to accept the 
status quo. That is simply not correct. No, it is not accepting the 
status quo; it is whether we will penalize over 2 million long-term 
unemployed looking for work who have lost their unemployment insurance 
because of the overall economic situation in this country that is 
getting better, but for them, not nearly good enough. So don't raise 
the issue of the status quo as a reason to penalize over 2 million 
Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, 2 months ago, a number of us invited a number of 
unemployment workers to be our guests at the President's State of the 
Union Address. We wanted to give a voice to the over 2 million 
Americans who have had their unemployment benefits cut off.
  When these jobseekers told their stories one by one, I thought to 
myself: This is America, these are folks who come from every walk of 
life, who have worked hard, very hard, and who have played by the rules 
in pursuit of the American dream; now, they have lost their jobs, 
through no fault of their own, and they are desperately seeking new 
employment.
  You can understand their complete bewilderment when uninformed people 
call them lazy, and you can feel their utter disbelief that their 
government apparently has abandoned them.
  My guest for the State of the Union Address was Josie Maisano from 
St. Clair Shores, Michigan. Josie proudly told us she had worked since 
she was a teenager, but now, at age 60, she could not find a job.
  Her unemployment benefits were helping her to keep her head above 
water as she searched for work, but when her benefits were cut off, she 
fell behind on her mortgage payments, struggled to keep the power on, 
and worried about becoming homeless, worried about that every day.
  Josie and over 2 million Americans just like her are desperately 
waiting to see if this Congress will finally act to help those seeking 
jobs, not saying we are ratifying the status quo, but as I said to the 
majority leader, not letting the status quo--which is changing a bit 
but not enough--let that status quo penalize her.
  Indeed, the good news is that the Senate is expected to take that 
critical step on Monday by passing bipartisan legislation--bipartisan 
legislation--to retroactively extend the unemployment insurance program 
through May.
  So the question is this: Whether this House will also act or will it 
leave town and leave America's jobseekers in the lurch?
  If every Member of this Chamber will simply take a few minutes to 
talk with unemployed workers in their district, to people like Josie, I 
have no doubt we will do the right thing and act; but up to this point, 
action has been scant, while the excuses have been plentiful.
  We have heard that an extension of unemployment benefits must be paid 
for, even though these emergency benefits have traditionally not been 
offset, but the Senate unemployment extension is fully paid for with 
bipartisan offsets, so end of excuse.
  We have heard that any legislation extending unemployment benefits 
must also create jobs, but the CBO has estimated that continuing 
emergency unemployment benefits would create 200,000 jobs by raising 
consumer demand, so, again, end of excuse.
  We have heard that extended unemployment benefits aren't needed any 
more because the economy has recovered. The economy certainly has 
improved from the depths of the Great Recession, but we continue to 
have near-record rates of long-term unemployment.
  Indeed, the percentage of those long-term unemployed in this country 
are the largest in our records, and we have never cut off these 
benefits in the past with anything close to this level of long-term 
unemployment, so end of that excuse.
  Again, we have heard that it is too late to help the unemployed 
because the Federal UI program has been expired for too long, but as 
the whip said,

[[Page H2949]]

the Secretary of Labor has sent a letter saying that it can be 
implemented.
  Governors and State UI directors have said they stand ready, willing, 
and able to restore these critical benefits, as has been done after 
prior lapses in benefits, so let there be an end of that excuse.
  So let's get past any excuses and focus on the facts. Anyone 
receiving an unemployment benefit must look for work, and they have 
ample reason to do so, given that the average unemployment benefit is 
only $300 a week.
  Even at that modest level--and I want to emphasize this--unemployment 
benefits have lifted 11 million Americans out of poverty since 2008, 
according to the Census Bureau.
  The end of the Federal emergency unemployment program in December has 
left only one out of every four jobseekers receiving unemployment 
benefits, the lowest coverage in over 50 years.
  The bipartisan Senate bill that will be voted on--we now expect 
Monday--would restore this vital lifeline to nearly 2.8 million 
Americans, including Josie Maisano, and 106,000 other jobseekers in my 
home State of Michigan.
  Someone recently asked me if this issue is personal to me. It is. 
When you hear the unemployed tell their stories, when you see the 
anguish in their faces, and when you know how hard they are struggling 
to find work, it is impossible to not take it personally. America, 
these are our friends, our neighbors, our fellow Americans. How can we 
give them the cold shoulder?
  This poster, 2.8 million Americans, these are the people whose 
livelihoods, whose lifelines are at stake here. I fervently hope that 
this institution will rise up to its greatest traditions, to respond to 
the needs of Americans out of work through no fault of their 
own, looking hard for work, unable to find it.

  Often, people who are in their forties, fifties, and older find it 
difficult to find someone who will give them a fair shot. These are 
people like us, and they are everywhere. We need to act.
  I now yield to a colleague and friend of mine, a member of our 
committee, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez).
  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Levin 
for yielding and for his leadership on that committee.
  I rise to join Mr. Levin today in lending a voice to the 2.8 million 
American workers who are waiting for Congress to act and renew 
unemployment insurance benefits.
  These people have been waiting 17 weeks for Congress to reinstate the 
benefits that help them stay afloat as they search for a job. Imagine 
having to decide between putting food on the table and having a roof 
over your head, but these are the decisions that millions of workers, 
including more than 514,000 in California alone, continue to face.
  It is a hardship they have to face because my colleagues on the other 
side of the aisle refuse to extend unemployment insurance benefits.
  Over the last several weeks, my office has heard from dozens of 
constituents who are struggling because of congressional inaction. In 
fact, I have had the opportunity to talk with some of them and hear 
their stories personally.
  They come from all walks of life, from working class backgrounds to 
even educated professionals who hold master's and doctorate degrees, 
and they all share one thing in common, they want to work.
  If I may, I would like to share one of their stories with you. One of 
my constituents wrote to me:

       Linda, in the past, I benefited from unemployment insurance 
     when I was between jobs. Part of my responsibility every time 
     I went to pick up a check was to certify that I was actively 
     searching for a job.
       This motivated me to continue searching for a job because I 
     knew that the small income from unemployment benefits allowed 
     me to pay for my needs, such as copies of my resume, gasoline 
     to travel to prospective work sites and interviews, and the 
     phone calls I made to potential employers who were looking 
     for employees.
       Nowadays, it seems that the unemployed are being punished 
     for being jobless through no fault of their own.

  That is just one of the many letters my office has received, but all 
of them share the same message: they want my colleagues on other side 
of the aisle to know they are not lazy or unmotivated; they want to 
work.
  As they continue to navigate the tough labor market, they need 
unemployment benefits to provide for their families and pay for the gas 
and phone bills that help them look for work and connect with potential 
employers.
  Mr. Speaker, unemployment insurance is not a handout. Workers earned 
those benefits. They paid into the unemployment insurance program, so 
they would have a safety net when times got tough. Unfortunately, my 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle don't seem to agree, so 
perhaps an economic argument might sway them.
  The Congressional Budget Office estimates that an extension of 
unemployment insurance benefits would grow our GDP by 0.2 percent and 
add 200,000 jobs to our economy in this year alone.
  That is because recipients are more likely to take the money they 
receive and spend it on essential goods and services. As a result, 
employers would hire more people to meet consumer demand for those 
goods and services. It is simple economics, Mr. Speaker.
  My Republican colleagues say they care about creating jobs and 
growing our economy, but when an opportunity comes around to do exactly 
that, they refuse to act.
  It has been 17 weeks since millions lost their unemployment insurance 
benefits, so what are they waiting for? Each week that we delay, 72,000 
new unemployed Americans lose their benefits. That is one more 
household, one more family that will have to decide whether they keep a 
roof over their head or food on their table.
  Mr. Speaker, a lot of these Americans are part of the group of long-
term unemployed. These are people who, despite their best attempts, 
have not been able to find work in over six months. The reality that 
these Americans face is abysmal.
  Research by Princeton University shows that, in any given month, the 
long-term unemployed have only a one in 10 chance of finding work, and 
a big reason for this is because employers are more likely to 
discriminate against long-term unemployed, even if they have the same 
skills and experience as other applicants.

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. Speaker, these people are waiting for Congress to act.
  I will share one more note from Ron in Pasadena, California, who 
says:

       I just hope that our representatives are able to see beyond 
     political polarities to the faces of those families to whom 
     this issue does not merely exist as a statistic or a theory, 
     but more genuinely as a question of survival.

  Next week, the Senate is set to vote and pass an extension of 
unemployment insurance benefits. The measure would reinstate Federal 
unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed and allow for 
retroactive payments to go out to more than 2 million Americans who 
lost their benefits in late December.
  I hope that my colleagues here in the House summon the courage to act 
and follow the Senate's lead. It is time to stop disrespecting people 
who are working hard to try to find work.
  Mr. Speaker, don't leave millions of millions behind. Give 
unemployment insurance the vote that it deserves.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her moving 
remarks. I hope the country is listening.
  Now, another person who has devoted so much time as Ms. Sanchez has 
to this effort to bring to the attention of this country what this is 
really all about, the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford).
  Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
  First, I would like to extend my appreciation to my colleague, my 
good friend, and the ranking member, Mr. Levin, from the great State of 
Michigan, for hosting this critically important Special Order hour on 
extending unemployment insurance benefits for over 2.2 million people 
who have been cut off since the end of last year. Thank you for your 
leadership and tenacity in making sure that this issue remains a 
priority here in this House. I commend you, sir, for your leadership.
  The timing of this Special Order hour in this session is not 
coincidental. The Senate is well on their way towards passing a 
bipartisan bill to restore this critical financial lifeline that the 
people in this country depend on while they search for work.

[[Page H2950]]

  I want to commend my Majority Leader, Senator Harry Reid, from the 
great State of Nevada, and the other great U.S. Senator from Nevada, 
Dean Heller, a Republican, who have worked in a bipartisan manner with 
Senator Jack Reed to get to the point they are in the Senate.
  I want to go further in recognizing Senator Dean Heller in calling 
Speaker Boehner just recently to ask him what it would take to bring up 
a clean vote on extending unemployment insurance benefits, because this 
is not a partisan issue--at least it shouldn't be. Helping 2 million 
Americans who rely on unemployment insurance as a bridge while they 
search for work is basic, fundamental, and should be supported by 
Members on both sides of the aisle, extending the Emergency 
Unemployment Compensation program through May and restoring the 
financial bridge to nearly 2.8 million Americans. These are our 
neighbors. They are people that we know.
  Now, the Democratic Caucus in the House comes to the floor today with 
a unified voice to respectfully ask the Speaker of this House for a 
vote. We have heard the calls from our constituents, and they cannot 
wait another day for the Republican leadership to continue to play 
political games.
  My colleague, Representative Sanchez, just said it has been 17 weeks 
since these unemployment insurance benefits have expired. For each 
week, that is $300, on average, that family members who use this to pay 
the rent, to keep the utilities on, to put some gas in the car so that 
they can search for work have been lost.
  So we come here today to talk about the lives that have been affected 
by this Congress' inaction at a time when the American people expect us 
to act. We are here to put the face to the numbers, because there are 
real people behind the 2.8 million Americans who are suffering, to give 
voice to those who are being ignored while they struggle to stay in 
their homes and to put food on their table for themselves and their 
family.
  Now, I am from Nevada. In our State, we recently had our numbers 
released today, and fortunately the numbers are getting better. Now we 
are the third worst in unemployment. So that is good news, but it is 
still not good enough. Nevada, along with other States like Rhode 
Island, continue to face higher unemployment in the Nation, not because 
the people in our States don't want to work, but because the 
environment in our States hasn't recovered fast enough from the 
recession.
  Now, in Nevada, we like boasting more about being the entertainment 
capital of the world and the fact that we have some of the most 
magnificent natural resources anywhere, but, unfortunately, the 
prolonged recession has hit our State and the people of Nevada to our 
core.
  As I said, it is because, in large part, our economy was a growth 
economy. For nearly 20 years, year over year, we had double-digit 
growth, and people were moving to the great State of Nevada to help us 
build and to grow.
  But during the recession that changed, and so now over 100,000 
Nevadans are unemployed and have been primarily from the construction, 
engineering, and architecture sectors of our economy. These aren't 
people who don't want to work. There is an environment that is not 
allowing them to go to work.
  Now, if we pass the Senate bill, 31,500 Nevadans would see their 
unemployment benefits extended. It is not a lot of money. As I said, it 
is not enough to live off of, but for these families and the stories 
that they have told us, it can make all the difference between being on 
the brink and literally falling off.
  Now, I want to share a couple of stories of constituents whom I have 
met over the last few weeks as we have tried to bring attention to this 
issue.
  Before coming to Congress, I ran an employment and training agency 
that helped thousands of people get training to go to work in Las 
Vegas. I know what it takes to put people back to work. So I went and 
visited one of our workforce centers and met with a group of unemployed 
workers to hear directly what they are facing and what it has meant to 
lose their unemployment insurance. They told us that they didn't know 
where else to turn. And they surely, if Speaker Boehner could hear from 
them, they want him to know that they want to do right by our fellow 
citizens and return to work.
  Now, among the Nevadans who have been cut off from unemployment 
insurance is Monty. He was laid off from his job on December 4, 2013, 
and he lost his benefits on December 28, 2013. When he called my office 
in February, his life had gone from bad to worse. Monty told my staff:

       I've had to basically pawn everything of value that I own 
     to try and stay in my apartment. That came to an end last 
     week when I couldn't afford to stay there anymore and I was 
     evicted. Right now, I am sleeping on rocks outside of a brick 
     wall at night with a blanket to keep me warm, and during the 
     daytime I go out and look for work.
       Prior to losing unemployment benefits, I was able to pay my 
     rent on a weekly basis, have bus fare to get around and look 
     for jobs, and provide a little bit of food for myself and 
     keep looking.

  Monty hasn't given up because he is determined to get back on his 
feet. He has never been in this situation before and, Mr. Speaker, he 
is not a lazy person. When he was employed, he hadn't missed a day of 
work in 25 years. Now he just can't understand why Congress has turned 
its back on him. Unemployment benefits were providing him the 
opportunity to keep looking for work and to stay in his home so that he 
could have a bed to sleep in and a hot shower before he goes on work 
interviews.
  Now, there was recently some good news for Monty. He recently signed 
up for Medicaid because of the Affordable Care Act. It is a small 
victory for him, but his story of losing his home is the same as 
thousands of people around this Nation.
  That is why I am proud to be a lead sponsor of the Stop Foreclosures 
Due to the Congressional Dysfunction Act introduced by Congressman Matt 
Cartwright from Pennsylvania. The legislation would impose a 6-month 
moratorium on foreclosures for individuals who have lost their 
unemployment insurance compensation due to the recent congressional 
inaction.
  Until we do the right thing, Mr. Speaker, by extending unemployment 
insurance, we must do everything that we can to keep families with a 
roof over their heads. Congressman Cartwright and I have also sent a 
letter to Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt requesting 
that he take action and use his regulatory authority to establish the 
6-month moratorium if Congress fails to act to pass this important 
legislation.
  Another constituent who I talked with recently is Elizabeth. Like my 
colleague Representative Sanchez said, many of these workers, or 
unemployed people who want to work, happen to be older Americans who 
feel that age has something to do with why they are not able to get 
back into the workforce. She lost her job with the Nevada Division of 
Insurance last year after suffering a stroke and two severe 
concussions. She has been searching every single day for work. She, 
like Monty, was uninsured until receiving coverage under the Affordable 
Care Act. Her unemployment benefits helped pay her premium and for the 
expense of medications that help prevent her seizures.
  After losing her benefits, she had to cut down on taking her 
medication, now taking it every other day instead of daily, and now 
risks suffering another accident. Given her new condition, she made it 
her goal to become a caretaker and companion for senior citizens, which 
requires she attend classes and trainings. The unemployment benefits 
that she was receiving helped pay to put gas in her car to attend those 
classes. When she lost her benefits, she had to stop taking the 
classes, which was devastating, because this was part of her goal and 
the transition that she was trying to make to return to work.
  But like many people, she had tough choices to make. She told us it 
wasn't a lot of money when she had a job, but now her family barely has 
enough to stay in their home and to pay their bills. Elizabeth wants to 
work. She told us: Do you think it is fun sitting around every day 
feeling like you are worthless, like you are nothing? She told us that 
most of all she wants to be able to get back to work to help provide 
for her neighbors, for those senior citizens that need that care and 
attention, for those who are worse off than she is.
  One of the hardest parts of being in financial straits, for her, is 
not being

[[Page H2951]]

able to give to charity. That is true citizenship, Mr. Speaker, and 
House Republicans could learn a lot from Elizabeth.
  These are the personal stories of those who have been hurt by 
Congress' failure to act. If Republicans don't want to extend 
unemployment insurance because it is the right thing to do for our 
fellow Americans, then maybe--then maybe--you will do it because it is 
the right thing to do for the economy.
  Overall, failing to renew the Emergency Unemployment Compensation 
program will cost the economy 200,000 jobs this year, according to the 
Congressional Budget Office, including 3,000 jobs in my home State of 
Nevada. Failing to extend unemployment insurance has drained, already, 
nearly $5 billion from our State economies, including $70 million from 
Nevada's economy, at a time when economic growth is needed the most.

                              {time}  1445

  For every $1 that is spent on unemployment insurance, it grows the 
economy by $1.52. So, whichever way you look at it, there is no excuse 
for inaction.
  When the Senate acts next week, the country's attention will turn to 
the House, and I am here with my colleagues today to urge the Speaker 
to listen to the Americans in this country who are desperately 
depending on us to act. At the end of next week, we will go into a work 
period for 2 weeks. During those 2 weeks, Americans will suffer if we 
don't act.
  Mr. Speaker, we must be ready to act, and I urge my colleagues to do 
the right thing by extending unemployment insurance for the millions of 
Americans who need it now.
  Again, I would like to thank the gentleman from Michigan and my other 
colleagues who have joined for this Special Order.
  Mr. LEVIN. Thank you so much for your eloquence. I hope this country 
is listening as well as your beloved State.
  Now I yield to another friend of mine and, most importantly, to 
somebody whose life embodies caring for others, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis).
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. I want to thank the ranking member of 
the Ways and Means Committee. I am pleased to join with him and others 
of my colleagues as we come to the floor to call for the immediate 
passage of legislation in the House to concur with the Senate in the 
restoration of unemployment benefits to the more than 2.2 million 
Americans who have been cut off of extended unemployment insurance 
because our Republican colleagues continue to block an extension of the 
program.
  Mr. Speaker, it is inconceivable to me that, as a government, as a 
nation, we would leave all of these individuals hanging, many of them 
since December 28 of last year, in 2013. Nationally, nearly 72,000 
people are losing unemployment insurance, on average, every week, 
adding to the 202 million people who have already lost their benefits. 
The Department of Labor estimated that the bipartisan Senate agreement 
to extend emergency unemployment insurance would benefit nearly 2.8 
million people. That is a big part of America.
  Long-term unemployment wrecks people's lives. It makes it almost 
impossible for them to ever catch up because they have gotten behind. 
They have lost what they had. They have been evicted from their homes. 
Their children have had to leave college. They just have not known 
which way to turn except to turn to their government, which they 
believe has their interests at heart and will do the right thing by and 
for them.
  Illinois, my State--the home of Lincoln--is estimated to have lost 
$296,763,435, just under $300 million, in unemployment benefits during 
the first 3 months of the year. Any way you count it, that is a lot of 
money, and it takes that money away from and out of the economy. Those 
of us who understand a certain kind of economics know that, if you are 
not able to exchange goods and services, if people are not able to go 
to the store and get a bottle of milk or to stop at the service station 
and buy gasoline, there is no point in talking about economic recovery. 
So, not only is it in the best interests of those individuals who are 
in need of unemployment benefits, but it is also in the best interest 
of our Nation as a whole.
  Mr. Levin, I want to commend you for the leadership that you have 
provided on this issue. I want to thank you for the tremendous 
leadership and for your understanding of the issues facing America.
  I hope that, next week, when we return, that our colleagues will 
realize that we, too, can make a difference, that we can join with the 
Senate and pass unemployment insurance benefits for more than 2.8 
million Americans.
  Mr. LEVIN. I thank you for your eloquent remarks.
  Mr. Speaker, how much time is left in our hour?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Michigan has 25 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. LEVIN. Before I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Nolan) 
for the remainder of my time, I just want to conclude in this way.
  This is a bipartisan bill that is coming over from the Senate. This 
country has asked for bipartisanship. That bill embodies it. This 
country has asked for fiscal care. Traditionally, unemployment 
insurance has not been paid for. This bill is paid for on a bipartisan 
basis.
  So what more is America asking for?
  It is asking for people in this institution to step into the shoes of 
several million people who are hardworking, who have lost their jobs 
through no fault of their own, who are looking for work, many of them 
never having been unemployed before. If there is a vote allowed in this 
institution, this bill will pass. There is only one obstacle to our 
doing what is right, and that is whether there will be a decision on 
the part of the leadership of this House to let us vote, and it won't 
be ourselves voting. It will be America voting. America wants a vote to 
help the several million and their families.
  So I leave here, going out of Washington, hoping that when all of us 
return that we will have looked into the eyes of fellow and sister 
Americans out of work, that we will have reached out and will have 
listened to their stories, and that we will come back with a sense of 
urgency, with a sense of decency, and with a conscience. This issue 
should be on the consciences of every Member of this House.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________