Unanimous Consent Request
Floor Speech
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Mr. WYDEN. They have done this as an alternative to spending the week doing real negotiating, which is what I and many Senate Democrats have been calling for, for not just days but weeks and weeks--literally, months--as we called for an advanced proposal.
In my view, the only thing worse than what the Republicans have done, cutting off desperately needed unemployment insurance to millions of families and communities, would be to allow a bill to pass that promises money without actually delivering it. That is snake oil, and I am going to be very specific in describing why that is the case.
Even if this short-term extension were to pass, experts and State agencies have said in very clear terms that States don't have enough time to reprogram their systems and avoid a lapse in benefits. A lot of them just have, as my colleague from Ohio knows--I was talking about it for days in the Finance Committee room--that these State unemployment systems are not equipped to switch the benefits on and off. These short-term extensions won't work and don't work administratively.
Nobody following this debate has to take my word for it. That is what the National Association of State Workforce Agencies have said.
I think there was a comment about, well, this is an image problem. It is a problem of the national media. Well, I would say, colleagues, the national media has been repeating what I just said, which are the exact views of people who aren't Democrats or Republicans, they are the administrators of this crucial program.
A short-term extension isn't enough for the hard-working Americans relying on this lifeline who don't have jobs to go back to. What about next week and the week after? There is going to be promises for week after week that also can't get the money to people so they can make rent and buy groceries.
The only responsible route is to agree to the extension that really looks to economic conditions, ties these benefits to economic conditions and then lower the payments only when it is appropriate to do so, and that means when the economy is in recovery, not when it is facing the kind of dramatic contraction that we all were so concerned about last week.
To me, this is all part of an effort to deflect the fact that when I--and I am just going to talk about myself specifically--but Senator Schumer, the Speaker sent letter after letter calling for negotiations because everybody knew there was a cliff. I said it repeatedly. I said: Don't go home, Leader McConnell. Stay here. This cliff is coming, end of July, last weekend, when people got the checks.
So there was a comment about unemployed folks being pushed off the cliff. Well, I am here to tell you, it was Senate Republicans by their inaction who pushed those workers off the cliff.
Now, what is needed is a long-term solution that ensures the extra $600 remains available for as long as this devastating crisis continues.
I heard my colleagues talk about workers. A lot of workers who were laid off once and then brought back have been laid off again. That is really representative of the challenge.
I also want to mention, as we talk about ideas--I heard my colleagues talk about it--another big snake oil idea coming out of the White House that somehow an Executive order is going to accomplish all of this. We hear the words ``Executive order.'' That sounds like it is going to be fast. Man, that sounds good. Executive order; let's move fast. In actuality, it would throw the States in chaos. It would be tied up in the courts. It would slow everything down, just like each of the Senate Republican legislative proposals so far. For example, they all still try to drive the idea of wage replacement. We have seen problems with getting the amount out initially, the $600. Wait until you see what happens with the Republican wage proposals.
There is a path here, and that is to negotiate in good faith. My Republican colleagues have been stalling on negotiating in good faith because they thought somehow--and I find this a real head-scratcher-- they could win a war of words by insulting the American worker and claiming that they are kind of lazy, that they don't want to work and the like.
I will tell you, on the Finance Committee, I hear continually from my friend from Ohio who talks about the superior work ethic of Ohioans. Now he is out here talking about how everybody is not willing to work and unemployment benefits are causing folks to stay home rather than work because they are too generous. I think that is just a bunch of hogwash. I believe Americans believe deeply in the dignity of work.
We just had a nationwide townhall meeting about the unemployment issue, and people were saying: I can't believe they are calling us lazy and saying we don't want to work. I get a job offer on Monday night, and I will be up there at the crack of dawn on Tuesday.
That is what workers are saying. So this idea that they are staying home because they don't want to work--besides, it is a violation of the rules of the program as well--I think is just hogwash.
I would also like to put into the Record right now the latest assessment from the Bureau of Labor Statistics about what is really going on out here, because the issue is not workers being lazy; the issue is scarcity of jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics--again, not a political operation--has reported that there are four unemployed Americans for every job out there. Let me repeat that. Not politicians. Not anecdotes. Not somebody who said something to somebody else. Those are the facts, colleagues. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that there are four unemployed Americans for every job out there.
2.0 June 2005-........................................... 1.8 July 2005-........................................... 1.7 Aug 2005-............................................ 1.8 Sept 2005-........................................... 1.7 Oct 2005-............................................ 1.8 Nov 2005-............................................ 1.8 Dec 2005-............................................ 1.8 Jan 2006-............................................ 1.6 Feb 2006-............................................ 1.7 Mar 2006-............................................ 1.5 Apr 2006-............................................ 1.4 May 2006-............................................ 1.5 June 2006-........................................... 1.5 July 2006-........................................... 1.6 Aug 2006-............................................ 1.5 Sept 2006-........................................... 1.4 Oct 2006-............................................ 1.4 Nov 2006-............................................ 1.5 Dec 2006-............................................ 1.5 Jan 2007-............................................ 1.5 Feb 2007-............................................ 1.5 Mar 2007-............................................ 1.4 Apr 2007-............................................ 1.4 May 2007-............................................ 1.4 June 2007-........................................... 1.4 July 2007-........................................... 1.5 Aug 2007-............................................ 1.5 Sept 2007-........................................... 1.5 Oct 2007-............................................ 1.5 Nov 2007-............................................ 1.6 Dec 2007-............................................ 1.7 Jan 2008-............................................ 1.7 Feb 2008-............................................ 1.8 Mar 2008-............................................ 1.9 Apr 2008-............................................ 1.9 May 2008-............................................ 2.0 June 2008-........................................... 2.2 July 2008-........................................... 2.4 Aug 2008-............................................ 2.5 Sept 2008-........................................... 2.9 Oct 2008-............................................ 3.0 Nov 2008-............................................ 3.3 Dec 2008-............................................ 3.7 Jan 2009-............................................ 4.4 Feb 2009-............................................ 4.5 Mar 2009-............................................ 5.3 Apr 2009-............................................ 5.9 May 2009-............................................ 5.6 June 2009-........................................... 5.8 July 2009-........................................... 6.4 Aug 2009-............................................ 6.3 Sept 2009-........................................... 6.0 Oct 2009-............................................ 6.3 Nov 2009-............................................ 6.3 Dec 2009-............................................ 6.1 Jan 2010-............................................ 5.3 Feb 2010-............................................ 5.7 Mar 2010-............................................ 5.7 Apr 2010-............................................ 4.8 May 2010-............................................ 4.9 June 2010-........................................... 5.1 July 2010-........................................... 4.6 Aug 2010-............................................ 4.8 Sept 2010-........................................... 5.0 Oct 2010-............................................ 4.5 Nov 2010-............................................ 4.8 Dec 2010-............................................ 4.8 Jan 2011-............................................ 4.5 Feb 2011-............................................ 4.3 Mar 2011-............................................ 4.2 Apr 2011-............................................ 4.2 May 2011-............................................ 4.3 June 2011-........................................... 4.0 July 2011-........................................... 3.7 Aug 2011-............................................ 4.1 Sept 2011-........................................... 3.7 Oct 2011-............................................ 3.7 Nov 2011-............................................ 3.8 Dec 2011-............................................ 3.6 Jan 2012-............................................ 3.3 Feb 2012-............................................ 3.6 Mar 2012-............................................ 3.2 Apr 2012-............................................ 3.3 May 2012-............................................ 2.2 June 2012-........................................... 3.2 July 2012-........................................... 3.3 Aug 2012-............................................ 3.2 Sept 2012-........................................... 3.1 Oct 2012-............................................ 3.2 Nov 2012-............................................ 3.2 Dec 2012-............................................ 3.2 Jan 2013-............................................ 3.2 Feb 2013-............................................ 3.0 Mar 2013-............................................ 2.9 Apr 2013-............................................ 2.9 May 2013-............................................ 2.8 June 2013-........................................... 2.8 July 2013-........................................... 2.9 Aug 2013-............................................ 2.7 Sept 2013-........................................... 2.7 Oct 2013-............................................ 2.6 Nov 2013-............................................ 2.7 Dec 2013-............................................ 2.6 Jan 2014-............................................ 2.5 Feb 2014-............................................ 2.4 Mar 2014-............................................ 2.4 Apr 2014-............................................ 2.1 May 2014-............................................ 2.1 June 2014-........................................... 1.9 July 2014-........................................... 2.0 Aug 2014-............................................ 1.8 Sept 2014-........................................... 1.9 Oct 2014-............................................ 1.8 Nov 2014-............................................ 1.9 Dec 2014-............................................ 1.8 Jan 2015-............................................ 1.7 Feb 2015-............................................ 1.6 Mar 2015-............................................ 1.6 Apr 2015-............................................ 1.5 May 2015-............................................ 1.6 June 2015-........................................... 1.6 July 2015-........................................... 1.3 Aug 2015-............................................ 1.5 Sept 2015-........................................... 1.5 Oct 2015-............................................ 1.4 Nov 2015-............................................ 1.4 Dec 2015-............................................ 1.4 Jan 2016-............................................ 1.3 Feb 2016-............................................ 1.3 Mar 2016-............................................ 1.3 Apr 2016-............................................ 1.4 May 2016-............................................ 1.3 June 2016-........................................... 1.3 July 2016-........................................... 1.3 Aug 2016-............................................ 1.4 Sept 2016-........................................... 1.4 Oct 2016-............................................ 1.4 Nov 2016-............................................ 1.3 Dec 2016-............................................ 1.3 Jan 2017-............................................ 1.3 Feb 2017-............................................ 1.3 Mar 2017-............................................ 1.2 Apr 2017-............................................ 1.2 May 2017-............................................ 1.2 June 2017-........................................... 1.1 July 2017-........................................... 1.1 Aug 2017-............................................ 1.1 Sept 2017-........................................... 1.1 Oct 2017-............................................ 1.0 Nov 2017-............................................ 1.1 Dec 2017-............................................ 1.1 Jan 2018-............................................ 1.0 Feb 2018-............................................ 1,0 Mar 2018-............................................ 0.9 Apr 2018-............................................ 0.9 May 2018-............................................ 0.9 June 2018-........................................... 0.9 July 2018-........................................... 0.8 Aug 2018-............................................ 0.9 Sept 2018-........................................... 0.8 Oct 2018-............................................ 0.8 Nov 2018-............................................ 0.8 Dec 2018-............................................ 0.9 Jan 2019-............................................ 0.9 Feb 2019-............................................ 0.9 Mar 2019-............................................ 0.8 Apr 2019-............................................ 0.8 May 2019-............................................ 0.8 June 2019-........................................... 0.8 July 2019-........................................... 0.8 Aug 2019-............................................ 0.8 Sept 2019-........................................... 0.8 Oct 2019-............................................ 0.8 Nov 2019-............................................ 0.9 Dec 2019-............................................ 0.9 Jan 2020-............................................ 0.8 Feb 2020-............................................ 0.8 Mar 2020-............................................ 1.2 Apr 2020-............................................ 4.6 May 2020-............................................ 3.9 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Mr. WYDEN. I will just say that I am stunned that colleagues are saying that American workers are out trying to scam the system and really don't want to work and all of these things that I think suggest a very different picture than what I hear from workers and, by the way, what I hear from my friend from Ohio when he is in the Finance Committee.
I have a final point. The Republicans knew the cliff was coming in May when the House passed the Heroes Act. They knew the cliff was coming in June. I am just going to walk this through because I heard: Oh my goodness, all of the Democrats are involved in pushing workers off the cliff.
The Republicans knew the cliff was coming in May. That is when the House passed their bill. They knew the cliff was coming a few weeks after that when Senator Schumer and I introduced and tried to get passed a piece of legislation that was really based, I say to my friend from Ohio--and something I heard our friend from South Dakota, Senator Thune, talk about--Senator Thune said: You know, I get it. When folks are hurting, the benefits have to be used to pay the rent and buy groceries. But when unemployment goes down, the benefit should taper down.
That is essentially what the Democratic leader, Senator Schumer, and I offered--to tie unemployment insurance to the realities of what is on the ground in the American economy.
Republicans knew the cliff was coming in May. They knew a few weeks later that Senator Schumer and I tried to actually pass a bill that, as I developed it and brought it to our leadership and showed it to colleagues, was really to a great extent sparked by what our friend from South Dakota, a Member of the Republican leadership, said: Well, let's kind of recognize that when the economy gets better, the benefit tapers off.
Republicans knew the cliff was coming in July when again Leader Schumer and I tried to provide certainty for American families and communities by passing our bill. Did they come to the table with earnest proposals?
Senate Republicans have spent the week on this idea of a 1-week extension, which the people who run the programs--the people who are the most knowledgeable, who don't have election certificates, who are experts in the field--are saying would not deliver to the people who are desperate to buy groceries and pay rent. It would not deliver the funds they so desperately need for quite some time.
These proposals are not serious. They are political theater.
The cliff is here. As Americans families fall over it, I am just stunned that we are hearing Republicans say: You know, it is OK to offer these proposals.
I have seen a number in elevators, leaving town. I am going to be here. I am going to be here because I think when workers are hurting and they can't make rent and they can't pay groceries, you stay at it.
The Senator from Ohio knows that is how we got to $600, because when Secretary Scalia folded his arms and said he couldn't really do anything that would present a real benefit, we spent 3 days--3 long days--and we said on our side: You are not going to stiff the workers, and we will just average the benefit. Some would get more, some would get less, but we would give everybody in America who, through no fault of their own, has been laid off a chance to pay the rent, buy groceries, and at the same time keep the economy afloat.
For all of those reasons, and especially reflecting my disappointment that after--and I just walked everybody through it--one effort to go and negotiate; a couple of weeks later, another effort; then in July, another effort. But nothing happened. In fact, I stood right where I am, as benefits were about to expire, and I said: How can the Republican leader basically say we are going home? When they asked him about moving anything to really meet the needs of the workers, the press reported--everybody was quoting the press--that the Republican leader laughed.
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