Rep. Schiff: Not Extending Unemployment Insurance Would Put a Lump of Coal into Families' Stockings This Holiday Season
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a member of the Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after a budget agreement was reached between Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Paul Ryan last night, and urged Congress to extend unemployment insurance before leaving town for the holidays:
“I appreciate the work that the budget negotiators have done to replace the sequester with a more rational budget process, and I will be evaluating the specifics to determine whether it is something I can support. The deal may help Congress return to a regular appropriations process and stop the economically-destructive practice of going from crisis to crisis. It would also restore some of the funding cut by the indiscriminate sequester.
“However, I’m deeply disturbed that this deal does not include an extension of unemployment insurance for 1.3 million Americans who are actively seeking employment. A recent CBO study showed that failure to extend unemployment insurance will not only hurt struggling families, but also will cost our economy another 200,000 lost jobs that we just can’t afford to lose during this tepid recovery. Congress should not leave town for the holidays until we have extended these vital benefits.
“I hope that we will be able to reach agreement on unemployment insurance and avoid putting a lump of coal into families’ stockings during this holiday season.”