Where is the Compassion?

WHERE IS THE COMPASSION? -- (House of Representatives - February 04, 2004)

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, today the majority of Republicans in this House voted against extending unemployment benefits. Every single Democrat voted to extend unemployment benefits. Let me say that again. Today the majority of Republicans in this House, which is supposed to be the people's House, voted against extending unemployment benefits. Every single Democrat voted to extend unemployment benefits.
How hopelessly out of touch with reality these House Republicans and their majority leader, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) are. Have they not noticed the jobless recovery?

The gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) said he would not support extending unemployment benefits. Let me remind him, unemployment benefits are earned benefits.

Every day our office gets phone calls from constituents asking whether Congress will extend their unemployment benefits, earned benefits. We are getting so many calls because hundreds of thousands of Americans have exhausted their unemployment benefits and they have not been able to find new jobs.

In our community Sunoco advertised for 10 jobs, and over 2,000 people applied. This week in my district another company is shutting down, Georgia Pacific, Dixie Cups, over 207 more jobs gone.

The good jobs just are not coming on line. The President says, bring it on. Well, I say, bring on the jobs. Where are they? So through no fault of their own, 9.1 million Americans are out of work. And with each passing month more and more of these unemployed Americans take a step closer to the brink as they find themselves not only out of work but also out of unemployment benefits which they have earned. No pay check coming in, bills to pay, no new jobs on the horizon, trying to hang on, and now no unemployment check. That is due to a Republican Congress that does not care.

Mr. Speaker, we all heard President Bush back when he was running as a moderate talking about compassionate conservative. Mr. Speaker, where is the compassion? People are getting desperate, but the Republicans in Congress are turning a deaf ear to their cries. Look what the Republican leadership did here today, voting no, the majority of Republicans voting no to extend unemployment benefits.

House Republican leaders said here tonight, there is no problem with no jobs. Just go out and try to find some. That is right. The Republican line is that the economy is back and there is no reason to pass unemployment benefits. They are so hopelessly out of touch.

George W. Bush is the first President since Herbert Hoover who has lost more jobs than he has created. Where is the compassion for the 395,000 workers who exhausted their regular unemployment benefits on December 22, just before Christmas? Or what about the 400,000 workers who exhausted their benefits last month, the largest number of workers
ever to exhaust unemployment benefits this past January?

The pain inflicted by the Bush administration's economic policies has spread from coast to coast. Hardest hit is North Carolina. More unemployed workers are expected to exhaust their jobless benefits than any other State, over 61,000 workers.

In nine States, the number of unemployed workers who will exhaust their regular benefits will set a new record. North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Indiana, South Carolina, Idaho, Vermont, Arkansas, where is the compassion for people in these States?

In 10 other States, the number of unemployed workers who will exhaust their regular benefits by summer will be the second highest on record: California; New York; Texas, where the majority leader is from; Ohio; Illinois; New Jersey; Wisconsin; Connecticut; Arizona; Nevada.

More than half the unemployed workers cut back on spending for food and more than half postponed medical or dental appointments. Without unemployment benefits, almost half the long-term unemployed workers would be in poverty.

With unemployment benefits, only 19 percent would fall into poverty. Why is there not a resounding number of Republican Members who see extending unemployment benefits, which are earned benefits, as a matter of compassion?

They are so hopelessly out of touch. I hope that the American people will write the Members of the other body, the Senators, and tell them to pass an extension of unemployment benefits. That is our hope now that the majority of Democrats in this House have sent that bill for their approval.

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Burgess). Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) is recognized for 5 minutes.

(Mr. BLUMENAUER addressed the House. His remarks will appear hereafter in the Extensions of Remarks.)