REPUBLICANS DENY ASSISTANCE TO MILLIONS OF UNEMPLOYED AMERICANS

For Immediate Release: June 11, 2008

Contact: EmilyBarocas /202-225-7295/202-593-1377

REPUBLICANS DENY ASSISTANCE TO MILLIONS OF UNEMPLOYED AMERICANS

Washington, DC - Republicans in theHouse of Representatives stood in the way of providing an unemploymentinsurance extension to millions of out of work Americans. Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01), Vice Chair of the DemocraticCaucus, said:

"Today, in the Houseof Representatives, the difference between the Democratic agenda and Republicanroadblocks couldn't have been clearer. While we were trying to provide unemployment insurance extensions forthe millions of Americans who lost their jobs as this economy has turned sour,Republicans stood in the way. Republicansare frozen in the ice of their own indifference to the needs of the Americanpeople. After seven years of the Bushpolicies that drove our economy into ruins and squandered a budget surplus,Republicans are turning their backs on the American people. When their friends in the corporate worldface tough times, they are more than willing to bail them out. But they won'tdo the same for American families.

"There are morelong-term unemployed American workers right now than there were the last timewe passed an extension of unemployment benefits. Today's unemployment insurance extensionwould have provided 13 additional weeks of much needed assistance to 3.8million Americans, including more than 57,000 in my home state ofConnecticut. And, it would have done soat no additional cost to the American taxpayers. The money would have come out of the surplusin the unemployment reserves.

"Make no mistake; wewill get this legislation to the President's desk, and I hope he signs it. Republicans can either stand with us torelieve the suffering of the 3.8 million unemployed this economy has created,or they can stand in the way."

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