[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 4274-4275]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE IN NEVADA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaMalfa). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, right now, thousands of Nevadans have the 
full-time job of looking for work. It has gotten worse for many since 
December 28 of last year, when emergency unemployment insurance 
benefits for many expired.
  There are now over 2 million Americans, Mr. Speaker, who have been 
cut off from unemployment insurance because of Congress' failure to 
act. That includes 26,023 Nevadans. These are not numbers; these are 
real people.
  Every week that Congress fails to act, it is projected that an 
additional 842 Nevadans will lose their benefits each week during the 
first half of 2014.
  Nevada's economy has lost over $54 million because Congress has 
stalled; but I, along with many of my colleagues, have not forgotten 
about our constituents.
  Today, Democrats will sign a discharge petition to force Speaker 
Boehner and the House Republicans to bring up a bill to extend 
unemployment benefits for all Americans who have lost their jobs 
through no fault of their own.
  These benefits are used to put food on the table, to put gas in the 
car, so that they can go look for an interview and to pay for rent. 
Extending these unemployment benefits used to be bipartisan.

[[Page 4275]]

  On December 14, 2002, in his weekly radio address, then-President 
George W. Bush scolded Congress, saying, ``No final bill was sent to me 
extending unemployment benefits for about 750,000 Americans whose 
benefits will expire on December 28.''
  He went on to say, ``These Americans rely on their unemployment 
benefits to pay for the mortgage or rent, food, and other critical 
bills. They need our assistance in these difficult times, and we cannot 
let them down.''
  The unemployment rate in December 2002 had just hit 6 percent. 
Congress then extended unemployment benefits by a vote of 416-4. If it 
was an emergency then, it is an emergency now. It is time to do the 
right thing and extend unemployment insurance benefits for Americans.
  It is an emergency for my constituents, like Alfordeen, who I met at 
a local Workforce Connection center as she searched for work.
  It is an emergency for Monty, who recently signed up for Medicaid 
because of the Affordable Care Act. He is homeless now; and because 
Congress failed to act, his unemployment insurance has been cut.
  It is an emergency for Tamika, who I brought as my guest to the State 
of the Union. She is an electrician, and she knows what it means to 
work hard, but has fallen on hard times and can't find work.
  The Nevadans on unemployment insurance that I meet are scrambling to 
make ends meet, and no one wants to live on unemployment insurance; and 
no, Mr. Speaker, they are not lazy.
  Despite repeated Democratic efforts, Republicans in Congress refuse 
to listen and have callously rejected restoring this vital economic 
lifeline that serves as a financial bridge for those who are looking 
for work, so this discharge petition is an extraordinary step.
  But for my constituents, there is no time for politics, and there is 
no time for waiting. Action to create jobs and build an economy that 
works for everyone must start with renewing unemployment insurance 
benefits for those Americans who were laid off at no fault of their 
own. It is time to extend unemployment insurance now.
  I encourage the Speaker, after this discharge petition is signed by 
Members, to bring up a vote so that we can provide this important 
lifeline to 2 million Americans, 26,000 Nevadans, families, and 
veterans who desperately need this benefit.

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