Providing for Consideration of H.R. 5749, Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2008

PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5749, EMERGENCY EXTENDED UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION ACT OF 2008 -- (House of Representatives - June 12, 2008)

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Mr. WELCH of Vermont. I thank my friend and fellow member of the Rules Committee for yielding me 2 minutes.

Madam Speaker, this is really a very simple question, and it is whether we're going to extend unemployment benefits to American workers who are suffering the largest 1-month surge in increased unemployment in 22 years.

And we can bring in all kinds of other arguments about what our energy policy should be, what the compensation should be, what the formulation of the benefits should be. But the bottom line is that we have Americans who have worked, and through no fault of their own, but because of economic forces completely and utterly beyond their control, they've lost their jobs.

And when we have discussions about micromanaging how these go out, in lump sums or weekly payments, and we're talking about trying to give an incentive, it is, in my view, Madam Chairman, very patronizing.

What is worse to an American than to lose his or her job?

Most Americans find their sense of satisfaction and self-worth in taking care of their family, in being providers, and by being a good, productive worker. All of us who've had the opportunity to have a good job know that there's nothing better than that. So there is a lot of built-in incentive for any American who's without a job to get a job.

But, in the meantime, $300 a week, that's about what the average benefit is, is barely enough to keep gas in the car, keep your home heated, to put groceries on the table. We know it's not even close to adequate. So there is plenty of incentive.

And the question for us is not behavioral psycho dynamics. The question for us, as a Congress, is whether, when there is this largest spike in unemployment in 22 years, we're going to ignore it or we're going to respond. And we have the tool that was started in 1935 to respond, where workers and others put money into a fund that is to be used at times of stress.

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