FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 01, 2006

CONTACT: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider 202-226-7616

Pelosi Statement on Extending Unemployment Benefits for Hurricane Survivors

Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement this afternoon in response to the House Republican leadership’s decision to bring to the floor legislation to extend unemployment benefits for hurricane survivors:

“After six months of hardship for the survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the House will now have the opportunity tomorrow to provide some much needed relief.  I am pleased House Republicans have joined Democrats by bringing legislation to the floor to extend disaster unemployment benefits for 165,000 people in the Gulf Coast region for 13 weeks.

“While the passage of this bill will be a step in the right direction, we must continue to provide hurricane survivors with the resources they need to rebuild their homes and their lives.

“As Speaker Hastert and I prepare to lead a bipartisan delegation of House Members to the Gulf Coast states to see firsthand the devastation caused by these hurricanes, it is only right that the House pass this critical legislation so that those who have lost their jobs because of these storms can continue to receive unemployment benefits.”

“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi