[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12749]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    EXTENDING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

  (Mr. ELLISON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, the Bush economy has lost nearly 325,000 
jobs this year alone. With five straight months of job losses and the 
unemployment rate experiencing its sharpest spike in 22 years, it is 
clear that the economic downturn is hurting middle class people 
everywhere.
  Last week, the Democratic Congress passed legislation to extend 
unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks to provide relief to 
millions of Americans who are finding it increasingly difficult to find 
a job.
  Not only will this extension help 1.6 million Americans who have 
already exhausted their regular benefits, but it will also stimulate 
the struggling economy. For every $1 spent on unemployment benefits, it 
generates $1.64 in our economy.
  Mr. Speaker, after last week's bipartisan vote, President Bush and 
the majority of the House Republicans should drop their opposition to 
this common-sense legislation so we can provide some much-needed 
assistance to those who are hurting under the Bush economy. Workers who 
are having trouble finding a job are not to be blamed for this 
struggling economy.

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