Congressman Carson on Unemployment

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressman Andre Carson issued the following statement on the issue of unemployment. The House is scheduled to adjourn for the year this evening.

"As Congress adjourns for the year, the issue of unemployment in America remains unaddressed. House Republican leadership has refused to consider a jobs bill all year and are now adjourning without extending unemployment insurance. Without immediate action, 1.3 Americans will lose their unemployment benefits as of December 28, 2013. I urge my colleagues in the House to deal with this issue in 2014 in a substantive and comprehensive way."

"The impacts of a failure to extend unemployment insurance are drastic. According to the Congressional Budget Office, Americans could lose another 200,000 jobs, including 3,406 in Indiana. Not extending unemployment insurance also means that 200,000 of our military veterans will lose unemployment benefits. This is simply unacceptable.

"If we are to scale back benefits we need to deal with the issue comprehensively by moving jobs legislation through the House. Unfortunately, the Republican led House has yet to move legislation, such as the American Jobs Act, to the floor. While it is a good sign that unemployment has fallen to 7% in the U.S. and 7.5% in Indiana, far too many people remain unemployed.

"I know that Hoosiers expect Congress to support job creation and help those who cannot find work. That is why I am so disappointed in our Republicans leaders who are unwilling to take this important step to support those struggling this holiday season."