Extending of Unemployment Benefits

Extending of Unemployment Benefits -- (House of Representatives - March 09, 2004)

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of January 20, 2004, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) is recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, my friend, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), just talked about the new economic statistics, that some 21,000 jobs were created last month in this country. The President had predicted 250,000 jobs. The Wall Street Journal had predicted 150,000, something like that; 21,000 were actually created. of those 21,000, actually every one of those jobs was a government job, many of them in education, productive, important jobs; but actually there was no private sector job creation, period. There was actually a loss of private sector jobs.

This is where it really matters to people. There were 760,000 American workers whose unemployment benefits have expired in December, January,

and February. That is 760,000 workers whose unemployment has expired who cannot find jobs. That is 760,000 families, many of whom have children, who have lost their unemployment compensation, have no income, cannot find jobs.

My friend on the other side of the aisle, the President and the Republican leadership, even though a lot of Republicans want to support it but the President and the Republican leadership will not bring it up, have said no to extending unemployment compensation for those 760,000 workers, those 760,000 families.

Last week, I visited a group of about 50 or 60 machine-shop operators in Akron in my district, in the city of Akron, Ohio. Right before I spoke, a man walked forward and put just a plastic bag full of brochures like this in front of me, and what they are is a bag of about five times this size.