[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 87 (Wednesday, May 19, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H2559]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          RISING UNEMPLOYMENT

  (Mr. GUEST asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. GUEST. Madam Speaker, former President Ronald Reagan once said, 
``The best social program is a job.''
  Job creation and growing our economy are bipartisan issues that 
benefit all Americans.
  This past year, we saw the impact that COVID had on our businesses, 
both large and small. But now, as we are reopening the economy, many 
employers are unable to find workers to keep up with the high demand 
for goods and services.
  A major roadblock to businesses being able to hire staff comes from 
the Federal supplemental unemployment payments made on top of the 
unemployment already received by the States. These payments have caused 
many potential employees to continue collecting unemployment from the 
government rather than reentering the workforce.
  Thankfully, many Republican Governors, including Mississippi's 
Governor Tate Reeves, have ordered the end of the Federal unemployment 
payments now that the economy is open.
  As a Congress, we need to follow the example of Mississippi and other 
States and bring this program to a close, as more Americans find it 
possible to return to normal life.

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