Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2010
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Mr. ELLISON. I thank the gentleman for giving me a moment to speak.
Mr. Speaker, my friends from the party opposite refer to deficit and debts. Well, you know, debts are important. The deficit is important. The national debt, all these things are critical. But I guess my question is, you know, when the Republican Caucus voted to give the most wealthy and most privileged members of American society a $700 billion-plus tax cut that they didn't pay for, they weren't that concerned about fiscal responsibility. Why no fiscal responsibility for the two wars? Ten billion dollars a month for Iraq, no fiscal responsibility for that. When the prescription drug handout was given to Big Pharma, $400 billion, no fiscal responsibility then.
But when the poor, hardworking people of America find themselves without work and come and say, you know what, still looking for work, haven't found one, and need some help from my fellow Americans, it's like, ``No, no, no, no. We cannot help you because we got to worry about the deficit.'' Why so much concern, so much heartfelt angst about what the wealthiest, most privileged Americans need but nothing but a cold heart and a closed purse for people who are in an emergency situation?
Mr. Speaker, I ask what about the debts of the people who are unemployed? What about them having to go to family and borrow money? What about them being captured by the payday lenders and the rent-to-owners and these kind of people, folks who take advantage of poor people when they don't have any money and they don't have any unemployment insurance benefits? What about their personal debt? The American people should respond.
I don't want to say that the party opposite is heartless, but this looks heartless. It looks that way. And I don't want my friends in the party opposite to look like they just don't care about poor people. So I urge everyone in this caucus to support and vote for this measure. It is important, it is the right time.
I will just say, finally, the fact is that for every dollar spent on unemployment benefits, $1.60 goes into the economy, which means we begin to pull ourselves out of this situation and deal with this deficit.
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