Congressman Cohen Statement on Jobless Claims Rising to Highest Level in 16 Years

Today, we learned that more Americans are filing for unemployment benefits than at any time since the 1992 recession. Congress has reconvened because we anticipated how this unprecedented economic crisis would affect workers, and I am hopeful that we will be able to extend unemployment insurance for the growing number of jobless workers in the next few days. I applaud President Bush for supporting Congressional Democrats on this critical issue.

In September, the House passed important economic recovery and job creation legislation that invests in infrastructure, extends unemployment benefits, helps states avoid deep cuts to critical services, and provides nutrition assistance to struggling families. The bill was defeated by Senate Republicans and President Bush made clear his opposition to the measure at the time.

We are starting to realize the true breadth of this crisis, and now is the time for the Congress to take bold action to save jobs and assist struggling families, including taking the necessary steps to ensure that our auto manufacturing industry does not collapse under the weight of this storm.

In this climate, I am particularly concerned about the plight of our wonderful charitable organization in the 9th District like the Memphis Food Bank and MIFA. Food donations to food banks and food pantries, as well as monetary donations to these and other non-profit organizations, are down significantly from years past across the country. This compounds the problem of hunger in America. I’ll be delivering meals with MIFA the day before Thanksgiving and on Christmas day, and I implore the great people of the 9th District with the means to do so to open their hearts and wallets in the spirit of the Holiday season to help feed the hungry in our community.

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Marilyn Dillihay, Press Secretary, 202-225-3265
Charlie Gerber, Communications Assistant, 202-225-3265