Senator Levin: Senate Floor Statement on Unemployment Insurance Extension

September 30, 2009 -- "Mr. President, currently the nation’s unemployment rate is higher than it has been since 1983. In my home state of Michigan, the unemployment rate is 15.2 percent – 5.5 percent higher than the nation’s unemployment rate of 9.7 percent. Translated into real people, this means that 14.9 million Americans are unemployed, of which, more than 735,000 are living in my home state.

Michigan provides a little more than 450,000 individuals with unemployment benefits. As of September 18, more than 26,000 Michiganders have exhausted much needed unemployment benefits and by the end of this year, this number will rise to more than 100,000 folks. Since the beginning of this year, Michigan has been losing on average 27,000 jobs per month. Our people need help.

Article continues below...

It is critical that we provide assistance to individuals who are straining to make ends meet by ensuring that their much needed unemployment insurance benefits do not run out. We need to provide support to those individuals who are struggling to find jobs so that they do not lose their homes and are able to put food on the table.

We must extend unemployment insurance benefits and swiftly pass an unemployment insurance extension, so the President can sign this bill into law quickly. "

Source: Senator Carl Levin