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House Republicans Delay Action While Unemployed Exhaust Benefits February 22, 2002 Help for the 1.8 million workers who have lost their jobs in the past year languishes on Capitol Hill while congressional Republicans hold jobless assistance hostage. The number of workers who exhausted their unemployment benefits reached 300,000 in December 2001, according to an analysis of U.S. Department of Labor data by the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities. That number is 75 percent higher than December 2000. A 13-week extension of unemployment assistance passed unanimously last week in the Senate last week. Yet the same extension of unemployment benefits is stalled in the House of Representatives, where it has been tied to economic stimulus legislation. The stimulus package favored by the Bush Administration represents a goody bag of tax breaks for corporations at the expense of out-of-work Americans. The measures included in the economic stimulus, which have already been rejected by the Senate, have been characterized by the Congressional Budget Office as least effective in stimulating the economy. And they do not help the majority of Americans. By mid-February, 80,000 workers reached the end of their benefits, the New York Times reported. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that two million workers will have exhausted their insurance by June. "I fail to see how congressional Republicans can justify withholding basic help for millions of unemployed Americans," said IBEW International President Edwin D. Hill. Until the two houses of Congress agree, any additional unemployment benefits beyond the current 26-week limit are on hold. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, accused House Republicans of delaying help for the unemployed. "I think the Republican leadership should be embarrassed for what they are doing," Daschle said.
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