WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) is urging the House and Senate to pass the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2011 (H.R. 3346) of which he is a co-sponsor. This vital legislation would continue the emergency unemployment compensation program through the end of 2012. Without legislation to renew this program, federal unemployment benefits are set to expire next month on December 31, 2011.
Congressman Cicilline said, “If the emergency federal unemployment compensation program is not extended at the end of this year, it would be devastating to millions of Americans and thousands of Rhode Islanders. These Americans who have worked hard throughout their lives should not be sacrificed on the altar of partisan politics.”
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The Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act would not only extend the federal unemployment programs through next year, but provide relief to states that have federal unemployment insurance loans from interest charges next year, and prevent higher federal unemployment taxes on employers in insolvent states. Families use their unemployment benefits to meet basic necessities like purchasing groceries which increase economic activity, and according to the Economic Policy Institute, allowing these federal unemployment benefits to expire would hurt consumer demand and thereby cost the U.S. economy more than 500,000 jobs.
The Director of the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Charles Fogarty met with Congressman Cicilline to discuss the jobs landscape in Rhode Island. According to Director Fogarty, currently in Rhode Island for every two part-time or full-time job openings there are seven applicants.
Cicilline also joined his colleagues Senators Reed and Whitehouse and U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis at a press conference organized by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means Democrats to highlight the need to extend emergency unemployment compensation.
Below are Congressman Cicilline’s remarks on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives as delivered.
At a time when so many Rhode Islanders and Americans are out of work, we need to do everything we can to provide assistance to families while individuals continue to look for work. The federal emergency unemployment insurance system is a critical part of our safety net that supports families during difficult economic times.
Many constituent families have contacted my office explaining the impact on their families of not extending unemployment benefits. Like Estella Londono in the Town of North Providence.
Estella is a single mom who was laid off from work, and now relies on unemployment benefits to support herself and her son. She is looking for work, and is currently participating in a job training program to improve her skills and to enhance her ability to find a job. Without the unemployment benefits, she would not be able to support her household and pay her bills.
If the emergency federal unemployment compensation program is not extended at the end of this year, it would be devastating to Estella and to the thousands of Rhode Islanders who rely on the program. These Americans who have worked hard throughout their lives should not be sacrificed on the altar of partisan politics.
Congress must stop playing Washington style political games with the fate of these families and act now to provide security to unemployed workers and their families while they look for jobs.
I thank you and yield back the balance of my time.
