WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) – In a speech on the House floor Tuesday afternoon, May 20, Congressman John Yarmuth (D-Kentucky) renewed his call for a House vote to extend emergency unemployment insurance. Millions of Americans were cut off when Congressional Republicans led an effort to block an extension of the program, which expired December 28.
Every week Congress fails to act, an additional 72,000 Americans – or one person every 8 seconds – lose their emergency unemployment insurance.
The Senate approved bipartisan legislation to extend the program for five months in April, but Speaker John Boehner has refused to bring the bill to the floor for a vote in the House.
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Preceding provided by Congressman John Yarmuth
Somebody do something!!!
US citizens need hero to deal with terrible Congress. Im employed now but never will forget how Congress shun-ed the working class and tried to put us on Welfare. Sending billions to Ukraine, funding Welfare and blaming the Tax Payer. Its one thing for extensions to end but to drag it along this long is cruel. Laid off workers should not suffer with Jobs that they lost of no fault of their own. To discourage bipartisan agreement is a crime in itself these days!!!
I agree with you Kevin, The whole idea of unemployment INSURANCE, is so that when a HUMAN BEING is no longer employed —- THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN,— a fact finding process, a very arduous one at that, takes place by the Division of Unemployment Insurance, to ensure that the very reason why the employee was let go, was IN FACT, through no fault of their own, this safety net exists and is majorly funded by an account that every employer is required to by law, have money set aside, each year every employer puts money into this account, for when they lay employees off, through no fault of the employee, this insurance money is there to see them onto their next job opportunity. The problem is that the number of unemployed workers that have been looking for more than 26 weeks, REMAINS AT HISTORIC LEVELS, TWICE THAT OF THE NUMBER OF ANY PREVIOUS RECESSION. This fact, that I purposefully placed in all capital letters, is a fact that is being ignored by congress (in particular the GOP) and I do believe that these 3.5 MILLION (I could be wrong on the exact numbers by now) with 71,000 more workers being added to this statistic every week,
will no doubt show their frustration at the midterm elections this November, and I do believe that the GOP will pay DEARLY for this obstruction…. I mean really…. they won’t even attach the extension to their own bill of corporate tax breaks that also expired in December… The other main issue is the functioning of the upper chamber, the Senate, where the Minority Leader, McConnel continually obstructs bills for the sole reason that his party is not allowed to add amendments to bills….. ONE WOULD THINK….. that if these amendments were so very important to the party, that they would just draft specific bills, that contain these very amendments, and have them voted on individually, as a way to pass the KEY/IMPORTANT bills such as EMERGENCY UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS. But, who am I to judge, im just an unemployed 26 year old with only my opinion.
Echo.One
Massachusetts
I will loose my home in 2 weeks and move in with a friend soon if somethings is not done. My home is my base center for job search and I will loos my phone and internet access soon.
I am a single mother, I have been actively seeking work, but I need to be able to travel to the jobs , which means I need gas money to get there, but I have used all my sources and I cant even get to the interviews. I have little food to feed my children. God does not like ugly and congress will pay.
I have been unemployed for sometime and looking everyday for jobs. Sending in resumes and all. I hope they resolve this issue soon as I am running out of money doing this day in and day out. Only relief I have from the House Speaker John Boehner is this app I have of him hanging:
Google App : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gordondev.hanging_with_boehner
We are running out money…looking everyday for work. Going on interviews and finding out there are approx. 200 other people looking for the same job. Living like this, after working all my life is awful….Please help all of us to get our lives back to normal.
I was on a government contract that ended in September of 2012. I began looking for a new job in November 2011. I was still unemployed for 8 months and was a victim of the sequestration in which unemployment benefits were hit. I had to maintain records of job searches that amounted to a 8-page list beginning October 2012 (not including all of the job contacts made prior). Most of the applications resulted in rejections or never being contacted. I am currently on another temporary contract, and once again, the funding seems to be dwindling. I have been actively looking for new employment for the last several months in anticipation of the inevitable. I am so sick of this. Competing with 200-500 other people for the same job is ludicrous.
It may not make sense to those who have for generations voted Democrat or Republican but I’m gonna try something new and vote Libertarian. Because those two party systems can’t live without each other and for the last five months have come up with no solutions. Close to 3 mil people and growing left bewildered to worry and strife while these fat-cats sit around for a week or so and bicker about what doesn’t work for them and then off for the rest of the month. And Obama with veto power to stomp on this republican filibuster action on from moving ahead with an extension plan but nothing is happening? If you ask me its all a ruse to stimulate more convenient legislation and voter interest come end off this year at the expense of our suffrage.
its all designed to keep the middle and low class poor, depend on the gv’t yet they won’t pass the extension, while obama plays golf with boehner!
The U.S. Gov has succeeded again at breaking down the middle class. They have sold their selves on the fake unemployment numbers that come out each month. The only reason the numbers have come down for 5 yrs now, is because of people losing their benefits. The stock market has also sold these idiots because it keeps climbing. It is not because of American production! We have to remember who created this whole crisis! The U.S Gov is the culprit behind the economic collapse by over regulation and taxes which has sent companies packing over seas in order to survive. I live in Mich. I have been in Sales for over 20 yrs and cant find work since June of 2013. I have applied to hundreds of companies with only 3 interviews. I have a strong resume! Mich elected a new Gov a few yrs back. The first bill he passed was to lower the weeks to 20 in Mich for unemployment benefits. Mich had the highest unemployment rate of almost 11% at the time! WTF! I have been waiting for this extension to pass from Jan 1st. I collected 1 payment from the Fed extension and then was cut off. People we are under attack by our own Gov. Is This really America???
#RenewUI You cant go door to door for work anymore. Doesn’t Congress realize it cost money in 2014 to pursue employment — door to door doesn’t work anymore. There is a lengthy process and it cost money.
Is Congress out of touch? Is it a problem they cant relate to modern times? YES!
Reach out to your local congressional representative and express your discontent.
Good luck.
Pass the unemployment extension. People are losing everything.