Improving the Community Services Block Grant Act of 2003

IMPROVING THE COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT ACT OF 2003 -- (Extensions of Remarks - February 06, 2004)

SPEECH OF
HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO
OF CONNECTICUT
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2004

The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3030) to amend the Community Service Block Grant Act to provide for quality improvements.
Ms. DELAURO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this amendment. Today the House must once again come together to provide relief to America's unemployed. Much like a year ago, the President says that the economy is improving, but those words are cold comfort to those who have not only lost their jobs but also their unemployment benefits in recent weeks.

It is always the same story with this administration-the recovery is right around the corner. We have been hearing that now going on 3 years. Already this month, 375,000 unemployed Americans have exhausted their state benefits. In my State alone, nearly 26,000 people will have neither a paycheck nor extended unemployment insurance benefits. That is the second highest number of workers who have exhausted their benefits on record. These folks have been left with no job or assistance and believe me-they are struggling to provide for their families this winter.

This amendment extends unemployment benefits for workers for another 6 months retroactively to December 20th, when Congress failed to act before adjournment. Of course, we learned last month that only 1,000 new jobs had been created-despite administration estimates that said a quarter million new jobs would be created that month.

Mr. Chairman, this majority acts as if unemployment benefits were some kind of handout-welfare for working families. But their inability to find work is hardly due to a lack of trying. If anything, it is due to the failed economic policy of this administration, which promised a million-and-a-half new jobs with its last round of tax cuts. That those jobs have not materialized seems apparent to everyone but them.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment is the least we can do. Too many families were left out in the cold this holiday season due to the Republicans' refusal to address this issue. This amendment is not enough, but it is better than nothing, which until now is all this majority has supported.