Date: 2004-06-02
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. and I rise in opposition to this closed rule to deny a fair and open debate on the real needs of American workers. Once again we see the Republican leadership shuttifig down the ability of the House for Members to debate and offer amendments to change the course of lives of American workers. to alter the legislation that comes before us that is really nothing more than a sham. It is a fig leaf to try to present to the American people that somehow the Republican majority cares about the unemployment when. in fact. what we see is we have 8.2 million people unemployed. we have 1.5million workers who have exhausted their unemployment benefits. people that no longer have the economic resources to hold their families togbther because they have been unemployed over 26 weeks. Those people are out there. Speaker after speaker on the other side of the aisle has gotten up and lamented the level of unemployment in their- district. and yet they refuse. they refuse to allow this Congress to address extending unemployment benefits to those people who they admit cannot find jobs in their district because of the economy. because of the layoffs. but they are going to let those individuals crash to the floor. lose their homes. lose their automobiles. make their chances of getting unemployment even more difficult because they refuse to bring up a bill to extend unemployment benefits. That is what the Republicans are offering. What are they saying here? They want to offer a bill that says you may get up to $3.000. Well. one of the things we just learned in the most recent memo from the White House is they plan to cut all of these programs in the next budget year. and so this promise is not worth the paper that it is written on. It is up to $3.000. You may not get $3.000. You may get $1.000. It may not pay for the job searches that you are doing or the training that you need. But the Republicans want to suggest for those 8 million unemployed out there. for those 1.5 million workers who have exhausted their benefits. for the 2 million people who lost their jobs since President Bush took office. that somehow this legislation is going to deal with their problems. This legislation in no way deals with their problems. The gentleman from Ohio and the gentleman from Michigan went to the Committee on Rules. and of course they were shut out. Because the Republicans are afraid of debate on unemployment. Republicans are afraid of debate on the homeland security and the employment of first responders to deal with the needs of this country. So what do they do? Rather than honor the tradition of the Constitution. rather than honor the traditions of this institution. they just close down the debate: Take this bill or leave it. Well. this Congress ought to leave this bill. because it does not do anything for the unemployed. and it certainly does not help those people who are most desperate in our country. who have found themselves longterm unemployed and their benefits have run out. This is the first administration in decades that has refused to help those individuals who have exhausted their unemployment benefits. It is unfortunate that we are in this situation. We should be able to consider the Kildee amendment on unemployment benefits. we should be able to consider the Ryan amendment to hire first responders to deal with the security needs of this Nation. but this Republican majority will not allow that. I would urge people to vote against the previous question so we would have an opportunity to vote on the Ryan amendment and do something for this country. for the unemployed. and forthe security needs of this country.