[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17837]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      EXTEND UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

  (Ms. PINGREE of Maine asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. PINGREE of Maine. Madam Speaker, if this Congress does not act on 
unemployment benefits today, we risk gambling away those critical 
benefits for millions of men and women across the country. This 
couldn't come at a worse time.
  Just weeks before Christmas, with winter settling in, thousands of 
people in my State of Maine will see their benefits run out. Although 
our economy has shown some signs of improving, far, far too many people 
are still unable to find a job.
  Not only are unemployment benefits an essential part of the safety 
net, they are critical to keeping the local economy moving. When an 
unemployed Mainer gets a benefit check, he or she turns around and 
spends that money in the local community, at the supermarket or the gas 
station or the hardware store. In fact, every $1 of unemployment 
benefits generates $2 in local economic activity, according to the 
Department of Labor.
  Madam Speaker, for the sake of out-of-work Americans and businesses 
across this country, I urge my colleagues in the House to come together 
and extend unemployment benefits so we can keep our economy moving.

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