Providing for Consideration of Senate Amendment to House Amendment to Senate Amendment to H.R. 4213, Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010

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Mr. HELLER. I appreciate the gentlewoman's extending some time.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to be here in front of you and to spend some time talking about these unemployment benefits that we have in front of us today.

We had some, of course, unfortunate information come out of the administration as to the unemployment numbers for the last month. They actually went up in the State of Nevada. Right now, the unemployment rate in the State of Nevada is at 14.2 percent. In the city of Las Vegas, that unemployment number is at 14.5 percent. That is the worst unemployment of any place across this Nation, so it is very disheartening. The question, I guess, that I have, Mr. Speaker, is:

Who do we hold responsible? Who do we hold responsible for the failed economic policies of this Congress and this administration?

I want to make it clear that I do not believe that the unemployed are the ones who should be held accountable for these failures. Despite the promises from this administration that a stimulus bill would cap unemployment at 8 percent, we are seeing across this Nation numbers much higher than that. We continue to see Nevada grow from 10 percent, 11 percent, 12 percent, and now to 14.2 percent. It was supposed to be an immediate jolt. Clearly, it didn't happen. The truth is the stimulus has failed the American people and the people of the great State of Nevada.

I want to read a letter that I received recently from one of my constituents, Heidi, from the city of Sparks, Nevada.

She writes, ``I need you to really try and understand just how difficult things are for some, if not most of us, still unemployed here in the lovely State of Nevada.

``I have been unemployed for just about 6 months now. My husband was laid off back in November, recently took a job for a considerably less amount just to get a job. I have been on several interviews, filled out countless applications, and sent my resume to countless companies.''

Heidi worked for the same company for 6 years, her husband, laid off after working 13 years.

It just goes to expand the failed policies that we're seeing here in this Congress, coming out of this Congress and coming out of the administration.

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Mr. HELLER. Mr. Speaker, I believe we need private sector money given to private sector government given to private people, not more public jobs. And that's what the other side continues to argue.

But I will tell you that Members on both sides, both sides of the aisle are trying to help the unemployed. But what the argument here is, do we continue to add $34 billion to the $13 trillion in debt that we now have here in this country. And that's the argument.

And if you want to ask another question, how do you plan on paying for it, there was a rule. There was an opportunity for the Rules Committee to pay for this.

How often is the left and how often is the majority party saying that the unemployment is a stimulus to this economy? That's great. And if you want to go down that road, what I would argue is then take the stimulus dollars that are unused and use it to pay for these unemployment benefits. You can do it. You can do it. It's not that you can't do it; it's that you won't do it. And that makes no sense.

I had that substitute amendment in the Rules Committee. Of course it failed. I think it's unfortunate. What we're doing here today is that we're going to pass this bill. I'm going to vote against the rule. I will vote for the bill, but I'm voting against the rule.

And the problem with this is we're going to pass this bill and what we're going to do is we're going to go on a 6-week vacation. That's what we're doing here. We're going to go on a 6-week vacation. And what we're going to say is that, hey, we're going to extend these unemployment benefits, but we're going to get full pay for 6 weeks while we're on vacation. Why don't we stay here, Mr. Speaker?

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Mr. HELLER. I want to stay here over the 6-week period, put some economic, bipartisan economic policies together so the people like Heidi from the city of Sparks, Nevada, can get a job. I think that's what we ought to be doing here in Washington, D.C. instead of casting a vote, ducking and hiding, running out for a 6-week vacation.

I ask a question: Who's to be held responsible for the failed economic policies of this Congress and this administration? And I don't believe it should be the unemployed.

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