This debate has shown the lengths Democrats will go to in order to avoid paying for any government spending – even calling the eighth extension of unemployment benefits an emergency.  One would hope even Congress could see it coming after the first seven times?

We could pass this bill with broad bipartisan support if Democrats would just agree to pay for the spending.  Instead, Democrats’ refusal to pay for these benefits will mean hundreds of thousands of unemployed Americans are losing unemployment benefits at a time when the unemployment rate is near 10 percent.  It should not be this way.

The American people know we must pay for this spending, and the Senate appears to have heard that message.  Just last night, the Senate rejected this bill and it has no hope of being signed into law.  Given the Senate vote, this isn’t just an exercise in fiscal irresponsibility; it is an exercise in futility. 

The unemployed are facing a personal emergency.  And our country is facing an emergency that affects us all, and future generations – the mountain of debt that this bill would only add to. 

If we want to help those who are out of work, let’s pass something that might actually pass the Senate, and won’t increase the deficit, such as the motion to recommit I will offer in a moment.

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