[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2240-2241]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  EXTENSION OF UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE

  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I want to speak about the unemployment 
situation in my home State of New York. By mid-March, 54,000 people 
will lose their benefits if we don't move forward with the short-term 
extension of unemployment insurance. That is tragic. It is virtually 
inhumane.
  I have been around my State meeting with people who are looking for 
work.

[[Page 2241]]

You look into their eyes and you feel their pain. Many of them are 
middle-class people who have had very good-paying jobs. Many of them 
have lost their jobs. Many lost their jobs more than a year ago and 
they have spent every day, 7 days a week, looking. I met a woman in 
Rochester. She was No. 2 in human resources for a big company. Her job 
was her life. She has been looking for 2 years and can't find a job. I 
plead with my colleague from Kentucky and all of my colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle--while we are debating a larger bill to extend 
unemployment benefits, we must allow this to go forward.
  We must allow this short-term extension to go forward for the sake of 
those people who lost their jobs, through no fault of their own, and 
they are desperately looking for work, but in this awful economy they 
can't find it.
  According to The Hill newspaper, New York is affected No. 1 by this. 
It is vital, vital, vital that we move this forward. I plead with my 
friend from Kentucky to reconsider and let the short-term extension 
move forward. We have done it before under the same conditions we have 
asked for this time.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I suggest the absence of a quorum and 
ask that the time during the quorum call not go against the morning 
business time of either side. I ask that the time now being used in 
morning business be equally divided.
  Mr. BUNNING. Madam President, reserving the right to object.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Kentucky.
  Mr. BUNNING. I wish to understand what the Senator from New York is 
trying to do.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Will the Senator yield?
  Mr. BUNNING. Sure.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I am just trying to equally divide the quorum call. I 
asked unanimous consent that I be allowed to speak for 2 minutes.
  Mr. BUNNING. And that was granted.
  Mr. SCHUMER. And we go back and everyone get their full allocation of 
morning business, and that was granted. There was no intention of a 
quorum call to be taken between either side.
  Mr. BUNNING. But that is the normal procedure.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I understand.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from Washington.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to now use time 
from morning business on this side.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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