Washington, DC--Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) issued the following statement today following the House passage of H.R. 5618, the Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act.  The measure passed the full House by a vote of 270 to 155 and now awaits passage in the Senate.  Republicans in the Senate have ‘filibustered’ the last attempts to secure passage for unemployment benefits for those still searching for work.

“House Democrats continue to step forward and act on behalf of Americans who have been struggling, as the nation continues its long recovery from the historic recession which almost collapsed our economy at the end of the Bush Administration.  However, my Republican colleagues continue to play politics with people’s lives.  By attempting to block passage of unemployment assistance they are only accomplishing two things – pandering to their most extreme supporters, and standing in the way of American families making ends meet. 

“This legislation extends unemployment benefits to millions of American families and workers. Almost two million people have lost additional weeks of benefits, after exhausting their state-paid benefits, due to the Republican filibuster in the Senate. These are real problems and I don’t think the Republicans truly understand what out-of-work Americans are going through.  These are serious times and require action with hard choices.   I find it difficult to believe that the same party who gave us unpaid wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is taking a hard line against spending allowing unemployed Americans to pay their mortgages and keep food on the table.

“Despite bold steps taken by Congress and President Obama, recovery for far too many of the families hurt by the recession will take time, and it will take support from the federal government.  The American people deserve better and I call on Senate Republicans to realize the thousands of unemployed Americans in their states, and those nationwide, are calling for their help.  They should put partisan politics aside and provide that assistance.”

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