Democrats Rap GOP Over Jobless Benefits
30 minutes ago
URL:http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=512&ncid=716&e=4&u=/ap/20031220/ap_on_go_co/democrats_economy
BALTIMORE - Republicans failed to take care of American families by not extending unemployment benefits, Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland said Saturday in the weekly Democratic radio address.
Mikulski stressed the need of benefits for jobless people, saying it is the right thing to do and is good for the economy.
"When you put money in the hands of people who need it, they spend it," she said. "That's what you call an economic stimulus."
She said the American people need to feel the federal government is on their side.
"Federal unemployment assistance is an important bridge to bring them through the hard times — helping to pay bills and put food on the table," Mikulski said. "Yet last month, the Republican leadership in Congress failed to extend unemployment benefits."
The GOP-controlled Congress, saying the benefits were not necessary because unemployment is declining, adjourned for the year without approving a new extension of the benefits.
An average 90,000 jobless workers each week who exhaust their state benefits won't get the extra 13 weeks of federal aid that others have received since March 2002, when Congress first approved the help. Most states provide up to 26 weeks of aid to people who lose their jobs.
Mikulski also said the country needs to invest in science, technology, education and infrastructure. And she said the federal government should spend more on education to have "a world-class work force."
Rising stock prices are good news, Mikulski said, but "we need to make sure jobs and family incomes go up with the Dow" Jones average. |
