OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Rangel Demands A Vote To Renew UI

Press Release

Date: April 8, 2014
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Business and Consumers Employment and Affirmative Action Entitlements and the Safety Net

Today, Congressman Charles B. Rangel voted for the House to consider extended unemployment insurance for nearly 200,000 New Yorkers, but Republicans blocked that effort by a vote of 219 to 190. This move comes one day after Senate bipartisan passage of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act, which retroactively extends emergency unemployment insurance for nearly 3 million Americans through the end of May.

"We should ask ourselves what kind of society we want to live in. Right now there are many Americans who are unemployed through no fault of their own and are struggling to get by. It's wrong to turn our backs on people who need support until they can get back on their feet. We have an obligation to help those who are most vulnerable," said Rangel, who earlier joined his Colleagues in the Ways and Means Committee, Congressional Progressive Caucus, AFSCME President Lee Saunders, NELP Executive Director Chris Owens, and advocates, in a press conference in front of the U.S. Capitol to demand a vote to extend unemployment insurance.

The bipartisan Senate agreement would:

* Retroactively restore emergency unemployment insurance for five months;

* Exclude millionaires from receiving emergency unemployment insurance;

* Strengthen efforts to help get job seekers back into the workforce;

* Be fully paid for with pension smoothing and extending fees on U.S. customs users through 2024.

Despite the growing struggles for these families, House Republicans have blocked Democratic efforts ten times to bring up legislation to extend unemployment insurance in the House. To overcome this opposition, 193 House Democrats have signed a discharge petition to force action on this widely supported legislation. The discharge petition will require the House to consider the unemployment insurance extension legislation once a majority of Members of Congress (218) have signed the petition.

"Speaker Boehner, please do the right thing and allow a vote in the House," said Rangel.


Source
arrow_upward