[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 502-503]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, there is a lot of work going on around the 
Capitol this evening, and tomorrow morning we will see if we can figure 
out a way to move forward to help 1.4 million people who are unemployed 
to extend their unemployment benefits to them. It is something we need 
very much, and we will see if we can move forward.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.


                           Order of Procedure

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at the 
conclusion of my brief remarks, Senator Lee be recognized, and then 
after Senator Lee that Senator Harkin be recognized.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, as the leader indicated, we are working to 
develop a response to the 1.3 million Americans who on December 28 lost 
their unemployment extended benefits. Since that time, the number has 
increased. About 70,000 Americans a week are losing their unemployment 
insurance benefits. This number is now approaching roughly 1.5 million 
Americans and will approach a significantly higher number of Americans 
throughout the year.
  This is an emergency. These people have worked. They are in a job 
market where typically there are more than two applicants for every 
job, and we are seeing a job market that is moving sometimes forward 
and sometimes sideways. The numbers last Friday were quite 
disappointing. It could have been the weather or it could be other 
factors, but it does underscore the need to move very aggressively to 
address the issue of these unemployed Americans. The average benefit is 
about $300 to $350 a week. The only reason they qualify for the benefit 
is they did work and they are still looking for work.
  One of the ironies of last week's numbers is even though we had very 
mediocre job creation, the unemployment rate fell. Why? Because people 
are leaving the workforce. They are giving up. We can't let that 
happen. One way we keep people looking for work and we keep them able 
to look for work is to provide this modest benefit each week.
  So we are looking very hard and we have had a great deal of 
collaboration and cooperation. I thank Senators Heller, Collins, 
Portman, Ayotte, Murkowski, and Coats. They voted to keep this process 
going forward, and I respect and thank them for that. I know, over this 
last weekend, particularly Senators Heller, Collins, and Portman have 
been working to try to find a way to move forward. Let me say, though, 
we on our side have moved very far.
  Typically these benefits are not paid for. Last year's 12 month 
extension of unemployment insurance was unpaid for. It was an 
emergency. It probably created on the order of 100-plus thousand jobs, 
which would not have taken place without that kind of increase in 
demand in the economy generated by these payments to individuals 
looking for work.
  We heard what our colleagues said, that this has to be paid for. So 
we went ahead and proposed a pay-for. Again, many of my colleagues in 
the Democratic caucus in both the House and the Senate would prefer to 
see these benefits as emergency unpaid for. We have repeatedly done 
that.
  We have also changed the duration of the benefits. We eliminated some 
weeks in the first two tiers so we would be able to afford this benefit 
and still give people the opportunity to move forward.
  So we have moved from what we have typically done.
  Again, if we look back over the years, the exception is paying for 
these benefits. Many times during the Bush administration, we provided 
unemployment benefits unpaid for. Now some of my colleagues are asking 
to pay for them. We have tried to pay for them. We tried to change the 
duration so we could afford them but still provide help for people. We 
have done this because we have heard from the other side: One, they 
have to be paid for; but, two, we can't use revenues.
  A balanced approach to any public policy solution has to at least 
consider revenues. But our colleagues have been staunch about saying: 
We will not entertain at all any revenues to offset this payment.
  There is a long list of egregious tax provisions which have been 
highlighted by many of my colleagues--particularly Senator Levin in his 
work--with respect to corporate tax loopholes which not only should be 
corrected but could be applied to allow these Americans the opportunity 
to have some support as they go forward looking for work. But because 
our colleagues said no revenue, OK, we have looked for ways to pay for 
this without engaging in rhetoric. So I think we have made a 
significant step forward.
  In turn, my colleagues have come back and proposed variations on some 
of the things we have talked about. They have done it in good faith. 
They have done it with great ingenuity. Again, I thank them. We haven't 
yet come to a sort of meeting of the minds, but we are working.
  Again, let me go back to the original proposal Senator Heller and I 
made. We said: Let's do this for 3 months without a pay-for. That will 
give us time to do a lot of the work my colleagues have suggested. They 
have talked about how training programs have to be changed, how skills 
have to be matched up with jobs, very intricate programmatic changes. 
That is not going to be done here on the floor within 24, 48, or 72 
hours.
  I would conclude by again saying: There are now approaching 1.5 
million Americans who were abandoned on the 28th of December. Their 
benefits were cut off. They are in some cases desperate, trying to pay 
their mortgages, trying to keep their homes, trying to put food on 
their table. They are trying to put gas in their car, natural gas to 
heat their homes in the cold weather, and I think we have to respond.
  Again, I thank my colleagues who have helped. Tomorrow we are going 
to get closer to a sort of point of reckoning, and I hope we can come 
together and move forward.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.

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