Yesterday during Roll Call Vote 946, my Representative, Congressman Tim Walberg, voted against extending the middle class tax cuts and unemployment insurance for unemployed Americans. The bill is H.R.3630.
I just sent him this note and I urge you to do the same:
I am appalled that my Representative to Congress voted AGAINST the bill to extend the payroll tax holiday, extend Federally funded unemployment insurance benefits, and prevent decreases in reimbursement for physicians who provide care to Medicare beneficiaries. After fighting to prevent a one-year extension, you now turn around and vote against a 2-month extension because you claim it’s not long enough? That is, by definition, hypocrisy.Mr. Walberg, it’s time you stood up FOR the middle class who are hurting in this economy. I have yet to see how you have done this since you took office in January. Please vote to extend the middle class tax cuts and unemployment insurance to our hardest hit citizens. If you do, only then will you truly be representing me.
Here are some essential points to consider when you contact your representative from our friends at Working America:
The Unemployment Insurance program serves as a lifeline for millions of unemployed Americans and their families who are now at the mercy of the worst job market since the Great Depression.Working America has half-a-million unemployed or underemployed workers – people without adequate work through no fault of their own who rely on UI as a lifeline during this time: the worst economic crisis in decades.
This is no time for extremist agendas or playing politics with something so crucial.
- Millions of hardworking Americans—nearly 2 million in January alone, and over 6 million in 2012, including many of our members—will be cut off from the emergency lifeline that is unemployment insurance, unless Congress acts. These are Americans who’ve been laid off and desperately search for work, but the jobs are just not there.
- Since the unemployment insurance system was created, Congress has never cut back on federally-funded extended benefits when unemployment was over 7.2%.
- Over 45% of all unemployed workers – more than 6 million people have been out of work for more than six-months.
- For nearly two years, over 40% of the unemployed have been jobless for more than six months.
- Unemployment benefits have kept 3.2 million Americans (including nearly 1 million children) from falling into poverty in 2010 alone.
Unemployment benefits are the most effective form of stimulus spending in an economy which is not growing jobs and therefore experiencing low consumer demand.
- New research shows that the current federal UI programs provide $2 in economic stimulus for every $1 in unemployment benefits circulating in the economy.
- Were these programs to lapse at the end of this year, that’s the equivalent of pulling nearly $90 billion out of the economy in 2012.
The federal UI programs saved or created 1.1 million jobs as of the fourth quarter of 2009 alone.
UI Benefits are only available to those who are actively and regularly looking for work, a fact that those collecting UI need to certify and prove in order to continue getting their benefits. Thus, there’s every incentive to find a job, especially as the benefits only average $296 per week.
Currently, there are about 5 unemployed workers for every job opening. And with the rising trend of employers refusing to even consider the unemployed for open jobs, the odds are really being stacked against the unemployed.
Please contact your Congressional Representative NOW! You can find out the information you need HERE. Remember, you want your Representative, not your Senator.
