[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2405]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      EXTEND UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

  (Ms. HAHN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. HAHN. Madam Speaker, this is the third month that my colleagues 
and I have asked that unemployment benefits be extended to help our 
communities. Those benefits expired on December 28, and more than 1.7 
million Americans, including 263,000 in California alone, have already 
lost access to these benefits, and another quarter of a million will be 
hit by the end of the month if we don't act.
  Madam Speaker, if we act now, we can still help our friends and our 
neighbors who are trying to support their families as they find a new 
job instead of taking away what may be the only way they can afford 
food. There are more than 1 million Americans trying to do just that, 
and we should do everything we can to help them return to the 
workforce.
  Previous Congresses have extended unemployment benefits time and time 
again with bipartisan support. Why is it that a program that we know 
helps members of our community and strengthens our economy is suddenly 
disposable? Let me remind you that these are unemployed workers who 
deserve our help.
  I hope that we are allowed to vote on this bill and extend this vital 
economic lifeline.

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