Jobs

Floor Speech

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Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Thank you very much.

Let me, first of all, commend you for the tremendous leadership that you provide to this effort each Monday evening.

As I was thinking about it, I was thinking of the fact that people who observe racing oftentimes describe horses in two ways. Sometimes they're the show horse, and then there's the workhorse. I guess when it comes to working as a Member of Congress, I don't think you have any peer. As a matter of fact, you have led our efforts. We came into the Congress at the same time. We're classmates.

You've led our efforts on health care. You've led our efforts on making sure that natural resources were divided in a serious way, and you're leading our efforts as the first vice chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. So I am pleased to join with you this evening.

As we consider policies to help Americans and our Nation recover from the worst economic crisis in our history--and I never forget this gentleman--I remember something that Dr. Martin Luther King said at one time. He said that the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. I agree with him.

This is indeed a time of challenge for our country with a current unemployment rate of 9.9 percent, an expected rate of over 8 percent for the next several years, and record levels of food insecurity and foreclosures.

As in many other States, the average unemployment rate in Illinois during 2010 for blacks was above 15 percent, above 13 percent for Latinos. And with persistently high unemployment numbers, the need for Federal unemployment assistance remains a vital lifeline for millions of our citizens.

In January of 2011, the share of unemployed workers who had been without work for over 6 months was 43.8 percent--one of the highest percentages on record--translating into about 6.2 million workers remaining unemployed for longer than 6 months.

In April 2011, just under 185,000 Illinoisans received extended unemployment benefits, with an estimated 100,000 Illinoisans exhausting the maximum 99 weeks of unemployment assistance in 2010. Although our economy is gradually gaining, we cannot ignore the fact that the economic crisis remains a daily reality for millions of Americans, nor can we ignore the fact that the crisis unevenly affects African Americans and Latino Americans.

During times of challenge, I sincerely believe that the mantle of responsibility for caring for the poor and struggling falls squarely on the shoulders of government, not primarily on the charity of individual citizens. In such times of hardship and strife, government leaders should extend help to the needy, not advance the wealth of the most secure. For this reason, I am deeply disappointed in the Republican bill moving in the House that would hurt both our economy and the long-term unemployed, some of the most vulnerable citizens in our Nation.

The Republican plan would essentially curtail assistance to Americans struggling with prolonged unemployment so that States could lower their
debt to the Federal Government. This approach is bad for the economy and bad for Americans. Unemployment insurance is one of the most effective methods of stimulating the economy, because the unemployed workers spend most of the money that they get on critical purchases, such as food and housing, other than the alternatives offered by the Republican bill. If we allow this $31 billion to go to State debt reduction, there is no new economic activity, and millions of families will not be able to put food on their tables or roofs over their heads. It is not only the 4 million workers who currently receive long-term unemployment benefits who will suffer; it is our businesses as well.

The retail sector has been hard hit by this recession. Cutting unemployment benefits for millions of people would take a tremendous toll on these businesses as well. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that current law generates approximately $40 billion in economic activity and creates about 322,000 jobs. Enacting the Republican approach would dramatically reduce the economic stimulus of our Federal Government and cut jobs.

Unemployment benefits only provide an average of $290 a week, which typically replaces only half of the average family's expenses. This support is not a free ride or boon for families; it is a critical lifeline during a national emergency to help our citizens who are suffering. The Wall Street Journal reported that roughly 1 million people across the Nation couldn't find work after exhausting their unemployment benefits. There are about 7 million fewer jobs now than at the beginning of the Great Recession, and the Department of Labor data show that there are over four unemployed Americans for every job. Needing unemployment assistance is about not being able to find work in a weak economy with limited job opportunities. It's not about being lazy.

The Republican bill is not a jobs bill. It is a jilting the jobless bill. It pits States that are struggling with large deficits against the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. I urge that we continue the fight to secure improvements in this proposal, to protect the hundreds of millions of hardworking Americans who need the government's help to weather the extended storm of economic hardship.

I commend you again for your tremendous leadership. Thank you very much for leading this effort.

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