OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Congress Must Extend Emergency Unemployment Benefits

Floor Speech

Date: Jan. 15, 2014
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Unemployed and Low-Income

Ms. EDWARDS. Madam Speaker, I rise today as a cosponsor of H.R. 3824, the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act.

It is unencumbered; it is unconditional; and we could put that on the floor today to extend unemployment benefits for all of those Americans--1.3 million of them--who lost their unemployment benefits as of December 28. In the couple of weeks since then, another 218,700 Americans have also lost their unemployment benefits. We are talking about a modest benefit here, Madam Speaker, $313 a week, on average, to pay for food, housing and gas to look for a job.

Over the holidays, I spent some time with unemployed workers at our local electrical union; and every time a job appears, 200 workers show up to try to get that job. These people are hardworking, and they have earned the benefit.

It is time to put H.R. 3824 on the floor today. Americans must be saying, Come on, Congress, get your act together, and pass an extended unemployment bill.


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