Lack of support for unemployment benefits 'outrageous'

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree urges Congress not to give up on extending unemployment benefits, which fell short of a two-thirds majority vote

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree said today she was disappointed that the House did not pass an extension of unemployment benefits but urged Congress to act when they return after Thanksgiving.

“I’m very disappointed that there weren’t enough votes today to extend unemployment benefits and I think it’s outrageous if Congress allows them to expire next month, just as winter is beginning and a few weeks before Christmas,” Pingree said.

Beginning next month, emergency unemployment benefits will begin running out for unemployed workers across the country. In Maine, 21,000 Maine people would see their benefits expire over the next few months if Congress doesn’t act.

Pingree co-sponsored a bill that would extend unemployment benefits by three months. Although the vote on the bill in the House today was 258-154 in favor, because it was brought up under “fast-track” rules, it didn’t achieve the necessary two-thirds majority to pass.

Pingree said she will continue to work to extend unemployment benefits, not just for Maine families struggling to make ends meet, but also because unemployment checks help stimulate the local economy.

“When an unemployed Mainer gets a benefit check, he or she turns around and spends that money in the local community—at the supermarket or the gas station or hardware store,” Pingree said on the floor of the House today.

See video of Pingree’s speech here.
 

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