Extending Tax Cuts Versus Unemployment Benefits

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, in the remaining days of this Congress we have some choices to make, and those choices couldn't be more clear. Are we going to extend tax cuts for the rich, giving millionaires an average break of over $100,000, or are we going to continue unemployment benefits of about $245 a week for out-of-work Americans? Are we going to approve a giveaway to high-paid CEOs that the Congressional Budget Office puts at the bottom of their list of what would stimulate the economy, or are we going to extend the unemployment benefits the CBO puts at the top of that same list? Are we going to hand out tax breaks to the wealthy that will add $700 billion to the deficit, or are we going to continue funding unemployment checks that generate $2 in economic activity for every $1 in benefits paid?

The American people sent us here to set priorities and make tough choices. Putting American workers ahead of millionaires and billionaires should be our priority, and it shouldn't be a tough choice to make.

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