[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7041]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        FACES OF THE UNEMPLOYED

  (Mr. CICILLINE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, last week, I unveiled the ``Faces of the 
Unemployed,'' an effort to help put a human face on the unemployment 
crisis.
  Yesterday, out-of-work Americans from all over the country came to 
Congress to tell their story, and they were shut out of the Capitol 
Building. They were not allowed to share their experiences inside the 
building that belongs to them and in front of the people they sent to 
Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, you may have stopped them from sharing their stories 
inside the Capitol yesterday, but with the ``Faces of the Unemployed,'' 
their faces and stories will be in the Halls of Congress every single 
day until you bring this bill to the floor for a vote.
  There are 2.5 million Americans without this safety net today, and 
that number could reach nearly 5 million if Congress does not act to 
extend unemployment benefits before the end of this year. These are 
real Americans, many of whom have worked their whole lives until 
recently and now can't afford basic necessities. They spent all their 
savings. Some have become homeless, and others are on the verge of 
losing everything.
  Every one of these people deserves a vote, Mr. Speaker. I urge you to 
bring the Senate bill to the floor for an immediate vote so that we can 
extend unemployment benefits and help millions of Americans.

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