Congressional Record—Senate
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January 7, 2014 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S65 Let me say that in my terms. Pre- So this notion this is just a conven- Let’s get this bill done as Senator viously, we have never taken away ient time to take a vacation subsidized HELLER and I have proposed it. Let’s these benefits when long-term unem- by the government is erroneous. get it done, and then we have another ployment has been so high, and these Let me continue from the report: huge challenge because we want, frank- benefits are not directly responsible for The remaining recipients were about even- ly, and I think the sentiment is across long-term unemployment. The 26 ly split between those younger than 25 and the board—if we are going to do this, weeks of the State benefit programs is those 55 and older. let us at least continue it through the for people who lose work and find it Again, the 55 and older—and this is year 2014. relatively quickly. This program, the very close to home—for these people it We are beginning to sense some posi- one we are debating today, is specifi- is a desperate struggle because they tive economic shifts. We hope those cally designed for those people who are are caught right in the middle. They materialize. We hope they come for- having a difficult time finding work have a 75-year-old or 80-year-old moth- ward to the point where the unemploy- over a long period of time. er or father; they have 30-year-old chil- ment rate, which has fallen—I heard We are now at twice as high a level of dren and some younger who are going the President today say when he took unemployment as we were in previous to school or they need the help. They over we were losing 800,000 jobs a recessions when we ended these bene- have been working for 30-plus years. month. It was rocketing up into the fits, which would suggest this is not They have reached positions of respon- stratosphere in some states, 12 percent, the time to end these benefits. sibility in their firm and now, sud- 14 percent. In Rhode Island it is still 9 Let me continue from the JEC re- denly, for the first time—many is the percent. We have seen some progress— port: case—they are without a job. That is not enough in my State, in Nevada, While employment prospects have im- not just economic, as I suggested. That and other States. But we have seen proved for many jobless Americans (the na- also goes deeply to who they are, their progress, and we hope that progress tional unemployment rate is 7.0 percent—the value, and how they can help their continues. lowest rate in five years), finding work is family if they can’t work. What is the Indeed, one of the other aspects of challenging for the long-term unemployed. effect on the family? How do they come this program, if we pass these bene- More than one-third of unemployed workers home every day from looking for work fits—and the economists have pointed (roughly 4 million Americans) have been without a job and not have it affect the it out, particularly if we pass them on searching for work for more than 26 weeks, family? This is the reality we are deal- an emergency basis—it will add more when state-funded UI benefits typically run fuel to our economy, not less. It will out, and 2.8 million unemployed people have ing with. been searching for work for more than one That is why, frankly, I have been add more demand. It will, in fact, in- year. pleading to at least get this program crease growth at a time when everyone This is a phenomenon we have to deal restored for 90 days. That will give us is on the floor talking about the fact with. This program we are discussing the time—not on the backs of the un- that we just have to grow more jobs. Of today is specifically designed for those employed—but give us the time to do course we do. But this program is, in a long-term unemployed. So if there is the work for a longer extension. way, the proverbial two-fer. You help one program that is responsive to one Now let me continue: people who need help, and you help the of the most salient aspects of this cur- More than half the recipients in 2012 were economy grow faster—200,000 jobs at white, while 22 percent were black, and 19 rent recession, it is the long-term UI least. percent were Hispanic. The vast majority (85 So I really do think we should move program because long-term unemploy- percent) lived in households with more than forward as quickly as we can to get ment seems to be the most difficult one adult, and 43 percent lived in households this Reed-Heller bill completed, and issue to resolve, even as our overall with at least one child. then we have a lot of careful, thought- employment numbers continue to So these are not single transients ful, collaborative effort to engage in. grow—not fast enough, but they are who move around and are used to being Because if we want to go forward for a growing. unemployed and could work if they full year, which we do, we have other I want to also dispel the belief of wanted to. These are people with real significant issues—not just the size of some of my colleagues that these bene- family responsibilities. the program, but other issues as were fits only flow to one or two distinct People of all levels of education have re- brought up by my colleagues, and constituencies. That this is a targeted ceived EUC benefits. The majority of recipi- brought up very fairly, very construc- program that provides some benefits, ents in 2012 had earned a high school di- tively, and very thoughtfully. but it doesn’t apply across the board. ploma, and almost one-fifth held a 4-year college degree. So Madam President, my message is: That is not the case. This is about No. 1, I thank my colleagues for giving These are people that have skills. every American from virtually every us the chance to seriously debate this They have at least got the credentials, type of education, income, and ethnic bill, and I urge them to pass it quickly, which, again, 20 or 30 years ago put you background. and then we will set ourselves up for As the JEC report documents: into the workplace and probably kept another serious, thoughtful and con- The 23.9 million Americans who have di- you there, if you were diligent. So I hope my colleagues take time to structive debate. That is my wish. rectly benefited from the EUC program since With that, Madam President, I yield 2008 include people of all demographic and review this report. It is extremely use- the floor, and I suggest the absence of socioeconomic backgrounds . [I]n 2012, ful. It shatters some stereotypes and more than 60 percent of the recipients were a quorum. reinforces the point this is about help- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The between the ages of 25 and 54. ing working Americans who need help. Let me stop. There is a stereotype clerk will call the roll. I think the facts are clearly on the The legislative clerk proceeded to out there that a lot of these folks are side of continuing this program, and I call the roll. 18 year olds who had a job for a while think the reality is they need the help Mr. REED. Madam President, I ask but decided they would rather go ski- now. If we can get them that help, then unanimous consent that the order for ing in Utah or snorkeling in the Carib- we will have the time to deliberate the the quorum call be rescinded. bean, and what better way to do that very serious questions that my col- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without than just essentially sort of perform so leagues have raised; and they have objection, it is so ordered. that when the layoffs come you get raised them constructively and raised f one—but so what, I am not going to them sincerely about the long-term ap- look for work; I’m going to just go. proach of this program. But to con- MORNING BUSINESS Sixty percent of these people are 25 tinue to trade legislative ideas on the Mr. REED. Madam President, I ask years old to 54 years old. They are floor while millions of Americans ei- unanimous consent that the Senate starting the prime or are in the prime ther are losing their benefits or are proceed to a period of morning business of their work career. They have respon- seeing the end come within days, weeks with Senators permitted to speak sibility. They typically have families. or months is not the right response. therein for up to 10 minutes each. They have, probably, if they are in So I urge my colleagues to move for- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without their 50s, been working for 30 years. ward through these procedural hurdles. objection, it is so ordered. VerDate Mar 15 2010 04:32 Jan 08, 2014 Jkt 039060 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G07JA6.053 S07JAPT1 TJAMES on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with SENATE S66 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 7, 2014 REMEMBERING PHIL EVERLY Everly an honorary Kentucky birth wounds suffered when enemy forces at- Mr.