[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 591]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    EMERGENCY UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

  (Mr. CARTWRIGHT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Mr. Speaker, on December 28, 3 days after Christmas, 
this Federal Government allowed 1.3 million American families to be cut 
off of long-term unemployment insurance. It comes at a time when we are 
in the dead of winter, at a time when construction employment is 
dormant, when agriculture is not hiring. It comes at a time when the 
national unemployment rate is close on 7 percent, when the national 
long-term unemployment rate is 2.6 percent, which is twice what it ever 
was when we ever cut off long-term unemployment before, going back to 
1959. It comes at a time when jobs growth is its weakest in 3 years, 
and it comes at a time when we know it is going to cost 240,000 jobs 
for our economy. This is money, Mr. Speaker, that goes right back into 
the economy because people are living hand to mouth on these checks and 
they need to spend it right away.
  At this point, Mr. Speaker, I urge you to bring up the modest 90-day 
extension for unemployment insurance before we break for recess.

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