[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 23280]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           SUPPORT H.R. 3156, EXTENDING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, for most of the last 2 years, my home State of 
Oregon has had the highest unemployment rate in the Nation, and 
thousands of Oregonians have tried for a year or more to find a job 
without success.
  This coming Saturday, 12,000 unemployed Oregonians will lose all of 
their unemployment benefits with the expiration of an Oregon 
unemployment program which provides assistance when Federal 
unemployment benefits run out. The estimates are that 400 additional 
Oregonians per week will lose all unemployment benefits starting next 
week and for every week thereafter. For unemployed Oregonians, it is 
these benefits that keep their kids in college, prevent the loss of a 
home, car, or vital health care.
  Mr. Speaker, a jobless economic recovery does not help the 
unemployed. I challenge this Congress to do more to help our jobless 
Americans. I challenge this Congress to pass H.R. 3156, my bill to 
extend Federal unemployment benefits by an additional 13 weeks.

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