Senator Sherrod Brown

WASHINGTON, DC – United States Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate highlighting the need for an extension in unemployment benefits and urged Congress to pass legislation this week that would extend unemployment insurance. His remarks, as prepared, are included below:

“When I think about the debate over extending unemployment insurance, some questions come to mind. Does anyone in Congress want more American families to lose their homes? Does anyone in Congress want more American children to go to bed hungry? Do we want more American families to stop paying their heating bills, their credit card bills, their health care bills? Do we want consumer spending to slow even further, dragging our economy from recession to depression?
 
“Assuming the answer to these questions is “no,” then voting to extend unemployment insurance for current job seekers shouldn’t be a fight, it should be a formality.

“This chamber approved a massive bailout of the financial industry, not because investment bankers might have to forsake that second Mercedes, not because Wall Street bonuses might drop from 8 figures to 7 figures.

“We approved that bailout because when credit markets freeze, businesses can’t get working capital, and when businesses can’t get working capital, Americans lose jobs, and when Americans lose jobs, their families suffer, the economy suffers, and our nation suffers.

“It all comes down to Main Street Americans who want to work, who want to pay their bills, and who want to take care of their families. Their well-being is tied into the well-being of our economy and our nation.

“Unemployment insurance is the mechanism by which Americans looking for jobs can sustain their families, keep their financial commitments, and afford the tools needed to find a new job. Extending unemployment insurance is also one of the most immediate ways to stimulate the economy.

“Relief for financial institutions was intended to prevent massive job loss, stabilize the economy, and stem foreclosures. 

“Extending unemployment insurance is intended to promote job growth, stabilize the economy, and stem foreclosures.

“It is the smart thing to do, the right thing to do, and it holds one important advantage over the financial bailout – the people who benefit live on Main Street – not a single Wall Street CEO in sight.”