LEVIN Opening Statement: Mark Up of Legislation to End This Year’s Federal Guaranteed Unemployment Insurance

May 11, 2011

Opening Statement of Ranking Member Sander Levin

Mark Up of Legislation to End This Year's Federal Guaranteed Unemployment Insurance

Committee on Ways and Means

(Remarks as Prepared)

Calling this a jobs bill is a cruel hoax for the millions of Americans who would see their unemployment benefits disappear under the legislation, while seeing no new job opportunities.

This legislation would end the guarantee of federal unemployment insurance for 4 million Americans—just like Republicans want to end the guarantee of Medicare.

Republicans act like the problem is the unemployed. No. The basic problem is the lack of jobs.

Nearly nine million jobs were lost under during this Recession.

We have gained almost 2 million private sector jobs over the last 14 months of the Obama administration, but it is not yet enough to compensate for the damage done.

Consider Chart One:

13.7 unemployed workers -- but only 3.1 million job vacancies.
4.4 workers for every job opening.

Unemployment Insurance is a lifeline for the unemployed and their families as they seek work during this difficult economy.

And, for those who think it is a life of luxury, consider Chart 2:

The average weekly wage is $784 for all American workers.
The poverty level for a family of four is $429 a week.
The average unemployment benefit is $300 a week.

These benefits are certainly not enough to keep people from taking a job. The Republican plan takes $31 Billion from unemployed workers and throws it to the States.

Allowing them – as Chart 3 illustrates – to cut taxes on businesses, re-pay their loans to the federal government, or fill in other state budget cuts.

Just last December, every Republican Member of this Committee who was in the Congress except one voted to extend the tax cuts on the very wealthiest and to extend federal emergency unemployment insurance for one year. We are not even half way into the year and you are already reneging on that vote.

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