Extend Emergency Unemployment Insurance

Floor Speech

Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, as Congress begins a new session, House Republican leadership must not ignore last year's urgent, unfinished business.

Right after Christmas, 1.3 million Americans had their unemployment benefits terminated. The Republican refusal to extend unemployment insurance has created a state of emergency for struggling families across this Nation, including thousands in Minnesota.

Earned unemployment benefits are a lifeline for Americans seeking work. Extending this critical safety net will help our neighbors meet basic needs: paying rent, buying food, and providing warmth in this very frigid winter.

Long-term unemployment is at a record high. There are three job seekers for every job available. It is wrong for this Republican majority to turn their back on unemployed Americans.

Fifty years ago, President Lyndon Johnson launched a war on poverty. Today, this fight means extending emergency unemployment insurance and preventing more Americans and their children from falling into poverty.

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