Administration Set To Hand Nation's Unemployed A Lump of Coal
The following is a press release from December 19, 2003, by Kucinich's office in Congress
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Kucinich: Administration Set To Hand Nation’s
Unemployed A Lump of Coal
Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH), Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement on unemployment benefits that due to Republican inaction will run out tomorrow for 500,000 Americans:
“Because of inaction by this Administration and the Republicans in Congress, it is now ‘zero hour’ for American families who are set to exhaust their state unemployment benefits. Roughly half a million people who would have been eligible for the federal extension program will not be receiving a paycheck or an unemployment check in January.
“Over 2.3 million jobs have been lost under this President’s watch. In addition, nearly 2 million people have been out of work for more than six months, the highest percentage in 20 years.
“The fact that this Administration and the Republican controlled Congress have decided not to extend federal unemployment insurance is unconscionable, unjust, and shameful.
“The economic situation in this country has simply not improved enough to justify the end to the federal unemployment extension program – already, three of every four federal unemployment recipients exhaust their benefits without finding a job.
“In this holiday season while the Administration has handed out gifts to the pharmaceutical industry, HMO’s and the oil and gas industry it seems those in most need, the unemployed, will get nothing but a lump of coal.”
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