[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13614-13615]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, the power of our democratic system is that 
everyone has a voice. The responsibility of that system is that once 
the votes are cast and counted, everyone must then accept and abide by 
the outcome. I deeply regret that too many of my Republican colleagues 
have yet to learn that lesson.
  Let me explain as clearly as I can what happened in the Senate 
yesterday and what is continuing to happen this morning. I want to 
explain it especially for the tens of thousands of Nevadans and 2.5 
million Americans waiting for the emergency unemployment assistance 
they have been told is on the way.
  Yesterday afternoon, the Senate moved, at long last, to within one 
step--one simple-majority vote--of passing long-overdue help for the 
unemployed. This is emergency help for those who have exhausted their 
insurance benefits because these days it takes longer than ever before 
in recent memory to find a job. This is help for people who have lost 
their jobs through no fault of their own. Although they are still out 
of work, it is not for lack of trying. These are people who have tried 
and tried and tried to find work, who scour job listings, who send out 
resumes, who fill out applications, who go to interviews, but who have 
not had any luck for weeks and months and, in some cases, multiple 
years. At last count, there is only one open job for every five 
desperate Americans to fill it.
  So after several tries and with the help of two courageous and good 
Republican Senators from Maine--Snowe and Collins--yesterday we moved 
closer to that last step by an overwhelming vote, a vote of 60 to 40. 
In the unique world of the U.S. Senate, 60 to 40 can be seen as a 
razor-thin margin, but by any reasonable measure, it is a landslide. 
That vote, by the way, was entirely in line with the wishes of the 
people we represent--the people of Nevada, the people of New Mexico, 
all 50 States--who overwhelmingly demand that we--Republicans, 
Democrats, and Independents--pass this aid. The support for this bill 
comes from all over the country, both from those fortunate enough to 
collect a paycheck and those desperate to get an unemployment check.
  By Senate rules, the maximum of 30 hours can elapse between the 
second to the last vote and the final vote, which requires just a 
simple majority of 51 or whatever the majority would be at the time. 
During those 30 hours, not a single letter or a single number in the 
bill will change. In other words, we have to wait more than a day 
before we can see if half of the Senate supports the exact same bill a 
supermajority supported the day before. That might not make much sense 
for those who do not follow the Senate every day or even those who 
follow the Senate every day. I understand that. In fact, historically, 
both sides have been able to come together and reasonably say: 60 is 
more than 51, so let's just move on. They have said it. They have said: 
It is not our time to waste; it is the American people's time. But that 
is just not how things work in the new Senate and not with this 
Republican leadership. The minority--which, it is worth repeating, has 
already lost the debate and lost the vote on this issue--has decided to 
squeeze out every last second of that time, until they have no more 
delaying tools at their disposal, until they have no more procedural 
tricks up their sleeves, until they can no longer forcibly keep 
emergency unemployment checks out of the hands of the desperately 
unemployed.
  The Republican leadership, supported by the overwhelming majority of 
its caucus, has stood--actually, what they have done is stand in front 
of a burning house and they have said: Everyone wants us to put out the 
fire, but we are going to sit back and wait a while before we turn on 
the firehoses. This really is a dark day in the Senate and some feel 
brings shame to the institution. But more than that, it hurts the very 
people we were sent here to help. Why would someone in public service 
do such a thing? Why would they be so callous? I do not know. I am 
really at a loss.

[[Page 13615]]

  Perhaps the overwhelming majority of Republicans think that since 
they have turned their backs on the unemployed for so many months, what 
is another few days? Perhaps they think that when unemployment goes up, 
their poll numbers go up also. Perhaps they look at this widespread 
misfortune and see an opening for their political fortunes or perhaps 
they have convinced themselves that the longer the unemployed suffer, 
the less likely they are to notice who is holding back the relief they 
need.
  It has long since been established that the unnecessary delays the 
Senate Republicans have forced surpass every possible historical record 
and defy every historical precedent. They defy both fairness and logic. 
But when we look back at the unparalleled abuses of this new Senate, 
this will be among the lowest points.
  It is abundantly clear there are differences of opinion in this 
Chamber on who is worthy of unemployment insurance and on how to fund 
the emergency assistance. Differences of opinion are why we are here. 
But that is no longer the debate. We have already fought that fight. In 
fact, we fought it over and over these past weeks. Now it is over. 
Whether by 60 to 40 or 100 to 0, it is done.
  So this is where we stand: The votes have been cast and counted. The 
House has overwhelmingly voted to extend emergency aid. The Senate has 
overwhelmingly voted to extend emergency aid. The President sits, pen 
in hand, ready to sign this bill into law the minute it lands on his 
desk. As soon as he does, the checks will go out and so will the fire.
  Millions of Americans are waiting but not for the spoils that will 
make them rich or jackpots that will help them buy luxuries they do not 
need. No, millions are waiting for a fraction of their old income, 
checks that will help them put food on the table this week, keep a roof 
over their heads this month, and keep the air-conditioning on this 
summer. But the clock continues to tick. The unemployed continue to 
suffer. And too many of our Republican colleagues--who for years have 
proven they have never seen an economic crisis they could not turn into 
a political opportunity--continue to prove they have never seen an 
opportunity they cannot turn into a crisis.

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