Rep. Veasey Hails Bipartisan First Step on Unemployment Insurance Extension in Senate
Urges House Action to Help over 776k Texans Looking for Work
WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Veasey, TX-33, issued the following statement after the Senate voted to begin consideration of a bipartisan three-month extension of unemployment insurance (S. 1845) on a vote of 60 to 37:
"This morning, the Senate took the first step to restore federal unemployment insurance to those who need it the most," said Rep. Veasey. "I urge House Republican leaders to allow a vote on this important issue immediately so that Congress can extend these benefits to more than a million jobless Americans who are actively looking for work and return our focus to expanding economic opportunities for the middle class and creating jobs."
At the end of December, 1.3 million Americans lost unemployment insurance, including 64,294 Texans. In Texas, more than 4,000 additional people will lose their benefits, on average, each week going forward. [State Numbers]
"American families deserve better as our economy continues to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and as we mark 50 years since LBJ's War on Poverty this week," Rep. Veasey added.
For Immediate Release: January 7, 2013
Contact: Jessica Coscia, 202-225-9897, Jessica.Coscia@mail.house.gov