[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 21160]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          EXTEND UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION AND PAYROLL TAX CUT

  (Mr. CICILLINE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, Congress should not be waiting until the 
11th hour to act on behalf of the American people. And yet here we are 
with the Federal emergency unemployment compensation program and the 
payroll tax cut scheduled to end in just a couple of weeks, which will 
cause tremendous harm to the American people.
  This holiday, thousands of Rhode Islanders are wondering whether they 
will be able to afford to stay in their homes, afford to go grocery 
shopping, and whether they will be able to afford their heating and 
electricity bills. Americans are being left with real uncertainty 
because of the failure of this body to act responsibly.
  It's a shame that extending emergency unemployment compensation and 
the payroll tax cut have become the latest victims of partisan 
politics. But it's not too late to act to provide families with a 
measure of assurance that they will be able to meet their basic 
necessities in the weeks to come.
  I've heard from many of my constituents about the devastating impact 
that ending unemployment benefits or a tax increase will have. Let's 
get it done.

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