[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12401-12402]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
                        LET'S MAKE A DIFFERENCE

  (Mr. CLEAVER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, last evening I received a phone call from a 
friend from my congressional district who now lives here in the 
District. We spoke extensively, but painfully, about the pitiful action 
taken in this body yesterday.
  We denied unemployment benefits to American citizens who, through no 
fault of their own, became victims of the worst recession in U.S. 
history. They lost their jobs.
  This, for me, was a very, very low point. The Senate has failed to 
approve summer jobs for youth, as well as emergency TANF relief, 
temporary assistance for families in need.
  Mr. Speaker, when I came to the Congress, I didn't sign up to make a 
mess but to make a difference. We are damaging the lives of men and 
women and, painfully, it is for political reasons. I went home last 
night ashamed of being in this body.

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