Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Renews Call for Immediate Action to Extend Unemployment Insurance Benefits

Statement

Washington, DC -- With 1.3 million Americans losing all of their federal unemployment insurance on December 28, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee today renewed her call for immediate extension of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program:

"At a time when families should be coming together to celebrate and enjoy the holidays, hundreds of thousands are seeing their entire lifeline cut-off because of the efforts of House Republicans," said Congresswoman Jackson Lee. "Americans deserve better at a time when our economy continues its recovery from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression."

House Republicans in mid-December blocked an effort by Democrats to extend the program before the December 28 cut-off, which leaves 64,294 people in Texas, and 11,294 in Harris County, without any unemployment insurance even as the rate of Americans who have been out of work for longer than six months remains near historic highs.

"I applaud Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Dean Heller (R-NV) for introducing their bipartisan legislation to extend the EUC program for three months while Congress works to fashion a long-term agreement," said Congresswoman Jackson Lee.

The Reed-Heller bill, along with the proposal offered by Congressmen Sander Levin (D-MI) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and legislation introduced by Congresswoman Jackson Lee on Monday, December 16, the "Unemployed Jobhunters Protection and Assistance Act (H.R. 3773), demonstrates that there is sufficient bipartisan support for an extension of the EUC program.

"I call upon Speaker Boehner to reconvene the House before Christmas and allow it to vote so we can extend this vital relief for people who worked hard, played by the rules, and lost their jobs through no fault of their own," said Congresswoman Jackson Lee.

The federal unemployment insurance program took effect in 2008 and has been reauthorized several times since as the economy continues its recovery. Despite the real progress the economy has made since its near collapse in 2008, there are nearly 2 million fewer jobs than there were before the recession began and long-term unemployment as a percentage of the unemployed is 37 percent, far higher than during previous recessions. On average, nationwide, the program provides about $300 a week to recipients.

Failure to extend federal unemployment insurance would also hurt job growth locally and throughout the nation, costing the economy 240,000 jobs, according to the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

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