Rep. Gregory W. Meeks Lauds Bipartisan First Step on Unemployment Insurance Extension in Senate

Rep. Gregory W. Meeks Lauds Bipartisan First Step on Unemployment Insurance Extension in Senate

Excerpt: The passage of this legislation is paramount to helping middle and lower income Americans pay bills and feed their families while they search for a job.

WASHINGTON, D.C.--Congressman Gregory W. Meeks, (NY-05) issued the following statement after the Senate voted to begin consideration of a bipartisan three-month extension of unemployment insurance (S. 1845) on a vote of 60 to 37:

“The Senate has taken a first step toward extending unemployment insurance for millions of Americans who rely on this critical economic lifeline by voting to begin debate on a bipartisan agreement. As many of my constituents indicated to me in my latest correspondence, the extension of unemployment insurance is clearly their number one priority and I am dedicated to working towards that end. The passage of this legislation is paramount to helping middle and lower income Americans pay bills and feed their families while they search for a job.

“Over the holidays, 1.3 million Americans lost unemployment insurance including 127,100 New Yorkers, when the program expired, and that number will grow by about 5,000 additional New Yorkers losing benefits every week in the first half of 2014.

“American families deserve better as our economy continues to recover from one of the worst economic crises since the Great Depression. Failure to extend federal unemployment insurance will hurt job growth locally and throughout the nation, costing the economy 240,000 jobs this year according to the White House Council of Economic Advisers. Congress must put partisanship aside and work to pass a three-month extension in the Senate so that we can realign our focus to expanding economic opportunities and creating more jobs for middle class Americans.” [End]