[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 17746-17747]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Curson) for 5 minutes.


                             general leave

  Mr. CURSON of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and to insert material into the Record on the subject of 
Representative Emanuel Cleaver's retirement as chair of the 
Congressional Black Caucus.

[[Page 17747]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CURSON of Michigan. I, too, offer my congratulations to 
Representative Cleaver for his service to all Americans as the CBC 
chair.
  Millions of Americans are out of work through no fault of their own. 
Millions of Americans are relying on federally funded benefits to make 
ends meet as our Nation's struggling economy starts to recover. These 
unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed will immediately and 
completely stop on December 29, 2012, unless we in Congress act. There 
is no phaseout. Every individual receiving those benefits now will be 
cut off cold.
  The Department of Labor estimates that over 2 million Americans will 
lose their emergency benefits at the end of the year, including over 
92,000 people in my home State of Michigan. Cutting off benefits for 
the long-term unemployed will have a devastating impact on middle class 
families who are struggling to stay out of poverty. They are critically 
important for necessities of life, rent, groceries, and utilities. 
Cutting off unemployment benefits will also hurt America's economic 
recovery, as economists predict that allowing the UC benefits to expire 
at the end of this year will reduce economic growth next year by $58 
billion.
  Emergency unemployment benefits provide a particularly valuable 
economic contribution to the economy because financially stressed 
unemployed workers typically spend the benefits they receive quickly. 
Cutting off these benefits will hurt small businesses and add to the 
downward spiral of a failing economy. The Census Bureau reports that 
unemployment benefits, both State and Federal, reduced the number of 
Americans living in poverty last year by 2.3 million, including over 
600,000 children. The Congressional Research Service estimates that in 
2011, unemployment benefits reduced the poverty rate for families 
receiving them by 40 percent.
  Cutting off unemployment benefits for too many Americans will only 
substantially increase hardship and poverty in our Nation. Now is not 
the time to deprive these Americans of a critical lifeline. Federally 
funded unemployment benefits should be extended by this Congress.
  The best cure for unemployment is to create jobs. We can do this by 
investing in rebuilding our Nation's infrastructure, creating real jobs 
and real revenue by people working for a living.

                          ____________________