Rep. Doyle Votes to Extend Federal Unemployment Benefits Despite Republican Resistance, House Approves Benefits for Millions of Workers

On February 4, 2004, Representative Mike Doyle voted in the U.S. House of Representatives today to provide six months of additional federal unemployment benefits to millions of workers across the country who would not otherwise receive this much-needed help. This amendment, if it becomes law, will help more than 90,000 workers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The amendment, which was offered by Representative George Miller of California, was approved by a vote of 227 to 179 with all of the Democrats voting for it. This legislation must now be considered by the Senate before it can become law.

“The Bush Administration and Congressional Republicans have been telling us for months that the economic recovery is underway and that an extension of unemployment benefits is not needed,” Representative Doyle said today. “Clearly, they don’t speak for my constituents.”

“In Pennsylvania alone, more than 316,000 people are looking for work - and it is taking longer and longer for them to find jobs,” Congressman Doyle observed.

“375,000 unemployed workers exhausted their unemployment benefits in January,” Congressman Doyle stated. “They are currently receiving neither paychecks nor unemployment benefits. For those folks, these additional unemployment benefits are long overdue.”

Pennsylvania has lost 85,000 jobs since President Bush took office. Nationwide, nearly three million jobs have been lost. The current unemployment rate is 36 percent higher than it was in 2001, and the job market remains weak-with only 1,000 jobs created in December.

Long-term unemployment has tripled - two million Americans have been out of work for more than six months - and many workers are running out of unemployment benefits long before they find a job.

Despite the clear need for it, the federal unemployment program expired at the end of 2003 - denying assistance to approximately 80,000-90,000 people nationwide each week since December 21 and leaving individuals whose state unemployment benefits ran out over the holidays without any assistance at all. Nearly two million Americans will have exhausted their federal unemployment benefits by the end of June unless Congress acts.

“The need for additional federal unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed is clear, and House Democrats have fought for months to bring this issue to a vote,” Congressman Doyle said. “Today’s vote speaks volumes about the callous indifference that too many Republicans in Congress feel towards the millions of hard-pressed Americans struggling to make ends meet and desperate to find a job. I urge the Senate to pass this legislation as soon as possible.”

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