A lifeline for the unemployed

Americans who are hurting and out of work need a break.

With the unemployment rate ballooning from 5 percent to 5.5 percent in May -- the largest monthly increase since 1986 -- Congress is considering a crucial bill to extend unemployment benefits for millions of Americans who can't find jobs and whose benefits run out.

The House will vote this afternoon on this legislation, which provides up to 13 weeks of additional benefits to all out-of-work Americans, and up to 26 weeks in states with the highest unemployment rate. In these difficult economic times, Congress is working to provide an important lifeline for those hit hardest by the looming recession.

Paying for groceries, gas, and rent shouldn't be impossible. Extending unemployment benefits would not only provide assistance to needy Americans, but would be an important boon to the economy. The Congressional Budget Office has found that every $1.00 invested in unemployment benefits generates $1.73 in new demand, reinvigorating the economy and stimulating growth.

But President Bush still opposes this bill. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino casually noted last week, "While it's a concern that the unemployment rate jumped to 5.5 percent, that is still historically low." The President should tell that to the millions of Americans crunched by home foreclosures, a credit crisis, sky-high gas prices, and an economy that has already shed 324,000 jobs this year alone.

George Bush's policies of corporate welfare and tax cuts for the wealthy have failed to trickle down to ordinary Americans. While he offers billion-dollar bailouts to Bear Stearns, the President continues to oppose action in Congress that would help those who need it most.

Today, Congress can make a statement that they stand with struggling American families, not George Bush.

Posted by Americans United For Change Web Team