Casey Urges Colleagues to Extend Unemployment Insurance for a Year
By ANNE HOLLIDAY
WESB/WBRR News Director
U.S. Senator Bob Casey today urged his Senate colleagues to pass an extension of unemployment insurance for another year when the measure comes to the floor this afternoon.
Without action benefits for workers who lost their job through no fault of their own will begin to expire after today.
“After today, two million Americans and 83,000 Pennsylvanians are forced to worry about losing vital support next month that helps them keep food on the table and pay their bills,” Casey said. “I urge my Senate colleagues to allow for this extension to pass, preventing families and the economy from suffering.”
Last week, Casey organized an effort joined by 28 senators to call for a vote to preserve unemployment insurance for another year. The letter sent to Senate leadership urges a continuation of the unemployment benefits program through December 31, 2011.
A unanimous consent request is expected to be made this afternoon to extend unemployment benefits.
Speaking to reporters during a conference call this morning Casey said he hopes “our Republican friends won’t object to this request and that we can get this passed today.”
“This is the right thing to do,” Casey said. “These are folks … who just need a little bit of help to get over that bridge.”
He said it makes sense even when lawmakers are concerned about reducing the national deficit.
“We know there’s a bang for the buck benefit as well,” Casey said, explaining that studies have shown expiration of the benefits would cause economic growth to fail by .5 percent. Extending the benefits would grow the economy by .7 percent create the full-time equivalent of 723,000 jobs, he said.
Casey noted that a report done by the U.S. Department of Labor when President Bush was in office said 1.6 million jobs per quarter were saved by unemployment benefits, and lowered the unemployment rate by 1.2 percent.
“You spend a buck and you get a lot more back,” Casey said.
Casey said he hopes the media will ask lawmakers who vote against the extensions what they would vote for.
“What are you for to help people who lost their jobs through no fault of their own? And what are you for in terms of positively impacting job creation and recovery?” Casey said. “For the life of me I can’t find a single substantial piece of legislation they are supporting that would focus on job creation and help the jobless.”
He also talked about people making assertions that people who continue to receive benefits would stop looking for jobs.
Casey talked about people in their 50s and 60s who never imagined they would be out of work.
“They’re full of anxiety, they’re worried, they’re embarrassed, they’re frustrated,” Casey said. “This is real life for people. For some politician in Washington who has a job and health care and a great pension to sit on the mountaintop and look down and say ‘Oh this will discourage you from looking for work’ is not living in the real world and is showing a kind of contempt for people that is really maddening and inexcusable.”
WESB/WBRR News Director
U.S. Senator Bob Casey today urged his Senate colleagues to pass an extension of unemployment insurance for another year when the measure comes to the floor this afternoon.
Without action benefits for workers who lost their job through no fault of their own will begin to expire after today.
“After today, two million Americans and 83,000 Pennsylvanians are forced to worry about losing vital support next month that helps them keep food on the table and pay their bills,” Casey said. “I urge my Senate colleagues to allow for this extension to pass, preventing families and the economy from suffering.”
Last week, Casey organized an effort joined by 28 senators to call for a vote to preserve unemployment insurance for another year. The letter sent to Senate leadership urges a continuation of the unemployment benefits program through December 31, 2011.
A unanimous consent request is expected to be made this afternoon to extend unemployment benefits.
Speaking to reporters during a conference call this morning Casey said he hopes “our Republican friends won’t object to this request and that we can get this passed today.”
“This is the right thing to do,” Casey said. “These are folks … who just need a little bit of help to get over that bridge.”
He said it makes sense even when lawmakers are concerned about reducing the national deficit.
“We know there’s a bang for the buck benefit as well,” Casey said, explaining that studies have shown expiration of the benefits would cause economic growth to fail by .5 percent. Extending the benefits would grow the economy by .7 percent create the full-time equivalent of 723,000 jobs, he said.
Casey noted that a report done by the U.S. Department of Labor when President Bush was in office said 1.6 million jobs per quarter were saved by unemployment benefits, and lowered the unemployment rate by 1.2 percent.
“You spend a buck and you get a lot more back,” Casey said.
Casey said he hopes the media will ask lawmakers who vote against the extensions what they would vote for.
“What are you for to help people who lost their jobs through no fault of their own? And what are you for in terms of positively impacting job creation and recovery?” Casey said. “For the life of me I can’t find a single substantial piece of legislation they are supporting that would focus on job creation and help the jobless.”
He also talked about people making assertions that people who continue to receive benefits would stop looking for jobs.
Casey talked about people in their 50s and 60s who never imagined they would be out of work.
“They’re full of anxiety, they’re worried, they’re embarrassed, they’re frustrated,” Casey said. “This is real life for people. For some politician in Washington who has a job and health care and a great pension to sit on the mountaintop and look down and say ‘Oh this will discourage you from looking for work’ is not living in the real world and is showing a kind of contempt for people that is really maddening and inexcusable.”
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