[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13073]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE DOES NOT DISCOURAGE THE JOB SEARCH

  (Mrs. MALONEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, unemployment benefits are a necessary 
lifeline for jobless workers trying to make ends meet and also provide 
a boost to the economy. These benefits are crucial when there are five 
job seekers for every available job. Unemployment benefits keep workers 
attached to the workforce, preventing some workers from shifting to 
other more costly programs, such as Social Security disability 
insurance.
  By the end of 2010, the Joint Economic Committee estimates that 
290,000 unemployed disabled workers will exhaust their benefits. 
Shifting these workers from the labor market and onto the Social 
Security disability insurance rolls--the cost of inaction--is a 
staggering $24.2 billion lifetime cost, contrasted with $721.3 million 
this year by extending the benefits.
  Extending unemployment benefits is both morally right and the 
fiscally responsible thing to do, providing a boost to the economy and 
a savings to the government.

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