Congressman Mike Michaud and Congresswoman Chillie Pingree voted to pass H.R. 5618, the Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act, which is a bill that extends unemployment benefits for 6 months. While the House bill passed, the Senate adjourned for the Independence Day recess without passing a bill.
Earlier this week Michaud voted against adjournment and sent a letter to House and Senate leaders urging them not to leave town before passing an extension of unemployment insurance.
“The Senate going on break is a slap in the face to the thousands of Mainers who lost their job through no fault of their own and rely on these benefits to make ends meet,” said Michaud. “These Mainers have been abandoned by Congress during an extremely tough time in their lives. This is shameful, and I am beyond frustrated. At the very least, the Senate should take up the House-passed bill and act on it as soon as they return.”
This is the second time the Senate has adjourned for a recess without acting on an extension of unemployment benefits.
“Letting these unemployment benefits run out now is pulling the rug out from under Maine families who need help now and pulling the rug out from under an economy that is still very weak,” said Pingree. “Without this extension, 6,500 people in Maine will lose benefits this week, and that means they will stop spending money on groceries and gas and other necessities in their local communities.”
2 responses so far ↓
1 Gabriel Prairie // Jul 4, 2010 at 1:37 pm
I attended the University of Maine in Orono from 2004 to 2006. I can’t even fathom why the majority of Republicans would keep blocking a measure to extend unemployment benefits at a time when Americans are suffering from a “real” lack of jobs. I’d never vote for another Republican as long as I live. America is paying attention to this injustice. The Republicans can spend Billions of dollars during the Bush Administration to fund stupid wars overseas, but when it comes to helping our own citizens, it’s a completely different scenario. God bless you on this 4th of July President Obama, and the majority of Democrats for actually caring about the “little” man/woman of the United States of America.
2 Carolyn // Jul 7, 2010 at 2:37 pm
amen unemployed gurl! this unemployment extension thing not being passed is really sad. i lost my job in February2010 and have done everything i can to find a new job. i also have a friend who lost his job last year and he sent out 1000 resume’s over 1 year’s time and finally landed a pretty good job, but it took him a year! i hope it doesn’t take me a year, but it’s terrifying to think that I could be without unemployment for the next few month until I find a job. I feel like I could end up out on the streets as i have no savings to fall back on. then it’ll be even harder to find a job! I’m praying they pass this thing…. sooner the better
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