Received this e-mail from Senator Brian Schatz (D. HI) regarding Senate Republicans and unemployment benefits:
It’s been 17 days since unemployment benefits expired for more than 1 million Americans. And every week, on average, 72,000 more people lose their benefits. That works out to one person every eight seconds.
Senate Republicans refused to extend this essential insurance before the holidays -- and now we can all see that our families are hurting, and our economy is hurting. A lifeline has been cut off for people all across the country -- and all of our Senators have a responsibility to restore these benefits to keep families in every state afloat.
This week, the U.S. Senate will have the chance to take a big step towards restoring these benefits. But in order to pass a bill that President Obama can sign into law as quickly as possible, we need to get some Republicans on board.
We’ve got to keep the pressure on. Join me in telling Senate Republicans to help our families and grow our economy by extending unemployment insurance:
http://action.brianschatz.com/...
If we don’t fix this now, millions more Americans won’t have the opportunity they need to get back on their feet, and our economy could lose 240,000 jobs this year.
Unemployment benefits are essential, not just to the families they support in their time of need, but to our whole economy.
We know that it’s going to take a long time to fully recover from the recession. There are still three jobseekers for every job; and these people must continue to provide for their families, search for work, and upgrade their skills until our economy recovers.
For thousands of families here in Hawaii, and millions of Americans across the country, unemployment insurance has been the lifeline that’s meant the difference between keeping their heads above water or losing their homes, or seeing their children go hungry.
Our campaign is about doing what’s best for Hawaii families, and unemployment insurance is essential to keeping all families afloat as our economy slowly recovers. Click here to tell Senate Republicans to extend unemployment benefits now:
http://action.brianschatz.com/...
President Obama has already said he’ll sign this bill into law -- let’s do everything we can to get him one!
Mahalo,
Brian Schatz
U.S. Senator
You can click here to add your name:
http://action.brianschatz.com/...