Date: 2011-12-13
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Mr. Speaker. 1.1 million Californians stand to lose their unemployment benefits if Congress fails to do its job. And the bill before us today is the perfect example of Congress failing to do its jobyet again. Lets be clear whats going on here. Republicans in Congress have opposed every effort by President Obama and Democrats in Congress to create more American jobs and to rescue our economy from the worst recession to since the Great Depression. They even opposed extending the payroll tax cut that the President signed into law last year that expires at the end of this year. That tax cut is worth $1.000 to the average American. If Congress does not extend the payroll tax cut. Congress will be increasing taxes on middle class workers by $1.000. Republicans in Congress have also opposed extending unemployment insurance for the millions of workers who have not been able to find work for no fault of their own. First. they block efforts to create jobs. Then they oppose extending to them unemployment insurance. Unbelievable. Now. they are feeling enormous public pressure to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance benefits. Democrats would pay for the cost of the payroll tax cut for middle class workers by slightly increasing taxes on people who earn more than $1 million per year. Republicans refuse to increase taxes by any amount on people who earn more than $1 million a year. Instead. they propose paying for the payroll tax cut by cutting unemployment insurance benefits. Unbelievable. Their bill cuts 40 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits from people in my state of California. and in 20 other states as well. We wouldnt need longterm unemployment insurance if Republicans were serious about solving Americas economic problems. but they are not serious about solving problems. In fact. they refuse. No new jobs under their watch. No new taxes on people who earn more than $1 million per year under their watch. But. its ok to cut unemployment benefits that help create jobs and keep food on middle class families tables. Now. to add to the indignity of it all. Republicans want to drug test those who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Have the Republicans in control of Congress forgotten how we got into this recession in the first place? It was Wall Street that recklessly drove our nations economy into the ditch. And millions lost their jobs because of it. And the crisis persists in part because the majority refuses to do anything about it. Youd think that the unemployed caused the job crisis. The unemployed didnt sell toxic securities. They didnt sell trillions of dollars of phony credit default swaps. They didnt blow up the global economy. No. that was Wall Street aided by lax oversight from Washington. If the Republicans want to drug test people who get benefits from the federal government. I suggest they look at Wall Street bank executives who drove our economy into the ditch in the first place. Congress should not demonize the unemployed who are desperate to get back to work. Unbelievable. Mr. Speaker. Congress has a job to do. It is our responsibility to work together to help put Americans back to work. to ensure our tax policy is fair and balanced. and to make sure that Americans have unemployment insurance benefits to help carry them and their families through while they are looking for work. This bill would cut unemployment benefits by 40 weeks for the unemployed in California and 20 other states. and then it would require drug tests for those who do get benefits. This bill should be rejected.