Sander Levin

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.

Mr. LEVIN. Thank you. What we're trying to do, as you say, is to bring America into this debate because if the faces are shown and the voices heard, our faith is that somehow we'll act. And as you say, Republicans tend to blame the unemployed instead of blaming themselves for inaction. And we're not going to leave here, we're not going to leave here until there's an extension of unemployment benefits; isn't that correct? That's your pledge.

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, today we're here to talk about the need to extend unemployment insurance. The numbers are staggering. If we do not act by the end of this month, in January well over a million people will lose their unemployment insurance, by mid-February the total will be well over 2 million, and by the end of next year, if we do not act, over 6 million people. As I said, these numbers are staggering. But the people behind these numbers are overwhelming. We're here today to talk about the numbers and also talk about the people who are involved. When we've had emergencies like this, we have never failed to act. Today, we face an emergency beyond any we've seen since the Great Depression, and it's absolutely vital as a result that we act. I'm joined by some of my colleagues. I want to call on them. As I do so, I want to read stories. I'll start by reading just one story and then call on one or more of my colleagues. Let me start by reading what came in from a person in Amherst, New Hampshire, Jackie: ``Unemployment benefits helped me make ends meet while I was using my savings and 401(k) to keep up with everything. Now they are gone. My savings are long gone. My 401(k) is almost gone. I'm watching everything I worked so hard for my entire adult life slip away from me. I am 50. I will never recover from this.'' I would now like to yield to the gentleman from Texas, if he would like to join me.

Mr. LEVIN. I thank the gentleman from Texas for joining us and explaining what this means in his State and throughout the country. We're determined to tell the stories and, as I said, to put faces on these numbers. And to do that, I have joined with other Ways and Means Democrats to launch an extend unemployment program e-call Web site. As of this week, 2,590 Americans have joined the e-call, and we have received 501 stories from jobless Americans. Before I call on the gentleman from Illinois to join, I would like to read, if I might, just a couple more. This is from Nick of Clinton Township, Michigan. ``I was unemployed from August 2008 until March 2010 after working for 23\1/2\ years at my job. ``My job was sent to Sao Paulo, Brazil. Had it not been for extended unemployment benefits, I would have lost my house.'' Nick of Clinton Township. And let me read what was said by Peter of Warren, Michigan: ``I was permanently laid off from American Axle. I worked there 15 years and our jobs were sent to Mexico. As of this time, I have not found a job. I have been looking over 2 years now, and nothing in Michigan. I am in the TRA/TAA program to be reeducated, but my benefits will run out before I finish my school, and I will not get the degree in my field.'' Again, from Peter of Warren, Michigan. I now would like to call, if I might, on the gentleman from Illinois to join us. And then, if I might, the sponsor of this legislation, Mr. Doggett of Texas.

Mr. LEVIN. And I thank the gentleman from Illinois for your distinguished service and your passion that you bring to this and so many other issues. I want to yield to the gentleman from Texas, who's the lead sponsor and ranking member on the relevant subcommittee. But before I do that, since you're from Texas, I want to read one of the hundreds that we've received, a word from people who are the unemployed. This is Jessie of San Antonio, Texas: ``I have submitted over 350 job applications and have only been called for two face-to-face interviews and five over-the-phone interviews. I am a disabled Navy veteran whose appendix ruptured in October 2010 and was filled with cancer cells. My State benefits expired at the end of August, and now my Federal benefits will expire in 6 weeks. ``It seems that no one is hiring adults over 56 years of age. I'm a very good, positive employee, and I feel that with every job application I'm due to get hired soon. Please help me in any way possible.'' It's now my privilege to yield to the lead sponsor of this legislation, Lloyd Doggett from the great State of Texas.

Mr. LEVIN. It's so important that you've talked about the facts. The more we discuss the facts about unemployment insurance, and the more we talk about the unemployed, the more persuasive is the need for action. There's so much mythology, and the stories help to blast the mythology. I just would wish that we could get into the shoes--there are 6 million whose benefits are threatened here. If you lined up the 6 million from here, they'd go, I think, to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. But it's hard for us to receive the stories or to obtain them because, under the Privacy Act, we don't know the names; and that's why you and I and others have joined to, essentially, have a Web site so people can tell us how to reach them. But your recitation of the facts is so important because, in the end, I think the facts will prevail. The stories will be telling. And so, Mr. Doggett, you've been such a lead person on this. You're the lead person on this legislation. So many of us have been working on this. As you said, one of the facts is we have never failed to act, and this is a deeper recession than we've known. In fact, one of the facts is that there are now nearly 7 million fewer jobs in the economy today compared to when the recession started in December 2007. Seven million fewer jobs. And so when people search, they're often hitting a wall. By the way, this gentleman, Jesse, refers to his age. And it's very true that the older--they're not very old--people are having trouble. I had a forum in Michigan, and it was so heartbreaking that a person said to me--I would guess in her fifties--that I've taken all of the years off of my CV, when I went to college, when I graduated, when I first had a job, and the date of every position she had because she's afraid that when these resumes come in, people look at the age and a stone wall is hit. It's my privilege, Mr. Doggett, to join with you. I'd now like to have join us a very distinguished Member from California. And if you give me a minute, Barbara Lee, the very distinguished woman, I want to find a story from California. And so if I might just read this before I yield to you. This is Benjamin of Los Angeles, California: ``I've been actively looking for work for 8 months now. Unemployment insurance has been crucial in my survival. It has literally kept me alive. It's allowed me to buy food and pay all my bills. Bills have no conscience. They come, regardless if one is working or not. ``I really feel for and extend my empathy to those who are unemployed and have children. I wholeheartedly support the emergency extension of unemployment insurance.'' Benjamin of Los Angeles California, your home State. You do such honor to your State and the whole Nation, and it's my privilege now to call upon the gentlelady from California, Barbara Lee.

Mr. LEVIN. Thank you for your eloquent statement. As you said, this is one estimate, four people for every job. You mentioned this is a matter of faith. A few weeks ago, I met a minister. I had never met him before. And we got to talking about the challenge of unemployment insurance. And I paraphrase what he said to me: This is a challenge to America's soul. Thank you very much. Before I call on the distinguished colleague from Wisconsin, I want to read one more story. I have a story that's given to us, one of the more than 400, from Nathan of Madison, Wisconsin. So let me read this before I call on my distinguished colleague and friend from Wisconsin, Gwen Moore. I quote: ``I have been unemployed twice in the past 5 years, and they were not by choice. I have a master's degree in organic chemistry and have worked in the pharmaceutical industry and related industries since finding a job out of school in 1998. After 2 years with my first company, I received a double promotion. So my layoffs have not been due to my performance, abilities, or capabilities. Anyone who says unemployed people are lazy or have it good are ignoring the fact that people are hurting across the board.'' From your fellow resident of the State of Wisconsin. It is now my distinguished privilege to yield to you, Ms. Moore, from the State of Wisconsin.

Mr. LEVIN. I was looking through some of the letters. Let me just read a letter in which the author is a single parent from Geneva: ``I never thought that I would have to start all over again looking for work in my late forties. I hadn't even been 1 year cancer free. I'm a single parent of a teenage daughter. So, when my job terminated, so did my medical insurance . . . I had to move back to my mom's house. I could no longer afford my rent, car note, insurance, and the basic everyday needs of raising my daughter and keeping my own place . . . Please don't take away UI so soon. People like me need to keep it until we can find full-time work to take care of our families and help us keep our self-esteem.''

Mr. LEVIN. Absolutely. We're focusing today on the stories of the unemployed, on the personal stories, in order to put a face on the numbers. It's also important--and you referred to it--for the economy of our country. Every economist, I think without any exception, says that unemployment insurance is one of the two most beneficial instruments that we have in terms of putting money back into the economy because people who are unemployed and who receive their insurance--they work for it--spend it. We have some other stories from single parents. Let me just, if I might, read another story. Then perhaps we should ask the gentlelady from Texas to join us if she would like. ``I am a military spouse that was forced to move and leave a great- paying office management position since my husband was transferred to a new duty station . . . I have applied for jobs that would barely cover our bills just so that I can be among the working again . . . My soldier can't afford to support us on a military income--and it's not just about me. I have a son to think of. I hope and pray that an extension is approved so that it doesn't cause our family structure to crumble. I believe that an extension should be approved as it is keeping not only my family but millions of other American families from drowning in a sea of financial ruin.'' That's from Rachel of Lemoore, California. It is now my privilege to yield to the gentlelady from Texas, Ms. Sheila Jackson Lee.

Mr. LEVIN. The gentlelady referred to a particular situation. Let me read from another story, if I might.

Mr. LEVIN. This is Linda of Seattle, Washington: ``I am a person, a hardworking American person at that, and I will be forced to live on the streets if EUC is not extended. It terrifies me; and if it happens, the struggle I will face to once again be a productive member of this society, in these times, by myself, is not one that I'm likely to win. There are thousands of stories just like mine that won't be told here. We are people, we have faces and lives and dreams just like everyone who still has a job. I am telling you: we will be on the streets without this extension, and only some of us will ever make it back from that.''

Mr. LEVIN. Your chart leads me to the last letter I'll read. I read from Ralph of Warren, Michigan, because your chart shows what's at stake for middle-class America: ``Unemployment insurance must be extended so you can pay your bills and buy food. Without this insurance you would see the foreclosures go through the roof. Start looking out for the middle class that built this country.'' And this issue of extension of unemployment insurance is critical for all America, and it surely is critical for the middle class that helped to build this country in that now, and the millions are finding, they have lost their jobs, they are looking for work, they can't find it. We need to respond, and we need to respond right now. And I close with this pledge from all of us on the Democratic side in the House: we do not intend to vote for a motion to adjourn until we have acted on the payroll issue, continuing on the physician reimbursement issue, and very much so on extending unemployment insurance so that people out of work, through no fault of their own, can be assured there won't be millions of people in this country, beginning the 1st of January, who are left out in the cold. I thank all my colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of National Nurse Practitioner Week. This honorary week, November 13th through the 19th, celebrates the vital service that over 148,000 nurse practitioners provide to patients around the country. At a time when there is a shortage of primary care physicians, more and more Americans are turning to nurse practitioners to help with their medical problems. Nurse practitioners are highly educated, licensed clinicians that provide a broad range of patient-focused care. Besides treating medical needs, nurse practitioners also focus on health promotion and disease prevention as well as health education that helps guide patients and assist them in making healthy choices in their day-to-day lives. Nurse practitioners improve the lives of Americans and help reduce health care costs. We should celebrate nurse practitioners as a crucial part of our healthcare system and a solution to many of the problems it faces. I urge all my colleagues to join me in recognizing the important work of nurse practitioners across the nation.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Hastings has indicated that if we vote down the previous question, we will bring up H.R. 639. It's a fact that China's currency manipulation is hurting U.S. businesses and workers. According to a recent study, imports from China account for 25 to 50 percent of the manufacturing jobs we have lost over the past decade. That's 1 million to 2 million jobs, and our trade deficit with China continues to grow. An important factor in this picture is currency manipulation. American manufacturers are forced to compete against an estimated 25 percent discount on imports from China due to that manipulation. That's on top of China's massive subsidies and other policies. Dr. Fred Bergsten, who heads the Peterson Institute, says that elimination of China's undervalued currency would create a million jobs mainly in manufacturing, and that manipulation is by far the largest protectionist measure adopted by any country since the Second World War--and probably in all history. Meanwhile, the Chinese government is pushing production of high-end manufacturing products that compete head on with American products-- high-tech products, solar panels, wind turbines, automobiles, aircraft, and others. This is a bipartisan measure. A majority of the House, 230 Members, have cosponsored the bill, including 62 Republicans. The time has come for action. Eight years of talk have yielded meager results. American workers and businesses cannot wait any longer, and the U.S. economy cannot wait any longer. The time is now for action. Defeat the previous question.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my friend and colleague in public service, Mayor Robert Hison of Saint Clair Shores, Michigan, as he retires after 27 years of devoted and talented service on the City Council. I have deeply enjoyed working with Mr. Hison on a number of significant issues to help serve our mutual constituents. Mr. Hison had a lengthy and successful career at Detroit Diesel Corp, retiring in 2004 after 38 years of service. He was appointed to Saint Clair Shores City Council in 1984, was reelected several times and ran for mayor in 2004, and has served the last 7 years in that capacity. Although the position of mayor is part-time in St. Clair Shores, Mr. Hison believed it was a full-time responsibility. He devoted himself to the work and was visible everywhere throughout the city. He made it his goal to improve the city's financial future and under Mr. Hison's leadership, the City of Saint Clair Shores has continued on a path of sound financial footing despite immense economic challenges. The City of St. Clair Shores is fortunate to be located next to Lake St. Clair, one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in North America and a vital resource for fishing, boating, swimming, and other recreational activities. Lake St. Clair is not the largest body of water in the Great Lakes system, but no body of water is more important. During his tenure on the City Council and especially as Mayor, Mr. Hison has worked to restore Lake St. Clair and address longstanding environmental problems that threatened the health of this vital natural resource. In particular, he has worked closely with my office and the Environmental Protection Agency to begin to address the PCB contamination that was discovered in the Ten Mile Drain adjacent to the Lake in 2002. In addition, while serving as Mayor, Mr. Hison went beyond serving his community and lent his talents to the entire Southeast Michigan area by taking on several leadership roles with the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG). He served as chair of both the Data Center and Finance & Budget Committees before being elected as vice chair of SEMCOG in 2007 and later chair in 2010. In 2010 he was nominated by SEMCOG for the open Region IX seat on the National Organization of Regional Councils (NARC) Board which serves Michigan and Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the dedicated public service of Robert Hison and his numerous achievements. I am so pleased to join with the entire community in paying tribute to his achievements, thanking him for years of talented service. I am confident he will continue to play an important role in the community where he is so highly thought of, in addition to enjoying a bit of retirement with his wife Nancy.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. More than 400 unemployed Americans have shared their story with us in the last 2 weeks. Here they are. They illustrate in no uncertain terms the urgent need for Congress to extend Federal unemployment insurance through 2012. Without action, 2 million Americans will lose their benefits by February, as shown in this chart. Two million Americans like Phil from Clinton Township. He wrote to us with a resolve common among the stories that we've received, and I quote: ``I am by no means unintelligent. I am by no means lazy. And I am by no means giving up. Without unemployment benefits, I will not be able to pay my bills (including my cell phone so I may receive calls from potential employers) and finding something to eat will become increasingly difficult.'' Congress has never allowed the Federal program to expire with the unemployment rate as high as it remains today, and we must not start now. We must act now.

Mr. LEVIN

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I believe this bill will pass with overwhelming support. Nearly everyone agrees that the 3 percent withholding provision should be repealed. It was a misguided approach when it was enacted by the last Republican Congress and it is misguided now. That is why we tried to repeal it earlier and ultimately delayed its implementation. Its repeal, however, should not be claimed as a significant jobs bill. As economist Mark Zandi has said, ``I don't think it's meaningful in terms of jobs. It's more trying to clean up something that needs cleaning up.'' The veterans provisions added by the Senate are a real jobs bill. They are a useful start in helping those who have loyally served our Nation find work, and I would hope all of us support them, including the tax credits to encourage businesses to hire veterans. Most on our side support these provisions, and they were included in the President's jobs proposal. But no one should consider these modest steps as a substitute for action on the President's comprehensive jobs plan, which Republicans have so far blocked. The President's jobs plan includes a payroll tax cut that would save the average family $1,500 a year. It includes tax credits for hiring the long-term unemployed, payroll tax cuts for hiring, and incentives to invest. It includes an infrastructure bank, and $75 billion to build roads and schools. That's a jobs agenda that could help many of the 14 million Americans who are still looking for work. Picking out two of the smaller pieces of that agenda and saying you've acted on the President's jobs bill is really disingenuous. The 3 percent withholding repeal and the veterans provisions are things we should do, but we must do much more. Millions are counting on us to do more. So passage of this bill today represents a challenge to the majority in this House. End your blockade of comprehensive jobs legislation as proposed by the President of the United States. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis), a distinguished member of our committee.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, it is now my real pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner), a gentleman who has worked so hard on veterans issues.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to a very distinguished member of our committee and a cosponsor of the amendment that we now add to the original bill, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. LEVIN. I yield the gentleman an additional minute.

Mr. LEVIN. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire).

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. It can be stated very briefly. The unemployment rate for veterans is beyond acceptance, and these bills hopefully will help. We need to pass more comprehensive legislation so that everybody has a chance at a job. For those who are unemployed and looking for work, we need to act so that, by next February, 2 million people will not be left without unemployment insurance. But again, these provisions added by the Senate, provisions that were part of the President's bill, will help to address this simply inappropriate, unacceptable, unsatisfactory rate of employment and reemployment for people who have served our country so loyally and so well. So I support this bill and urge its passage. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEVIN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds. The problem is that the 19 bills weren't real jobs bills. So now what the Senate has sent us back is an addition that is a real jobs bill, though not comprehensive. I now yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

Mr. LEVIN. I now, with pleasure, yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop). (Mr. BISHOP of Georgia asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)