Today on the floor of the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) issued the following statement during a debate on a rule to consider a "Sense of the Congress That Hunting Seasons for Migratory Mourning Doves Should be Extended" (H.Con.Res. 275).
Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge our colleagues to vote against the previous question. Here we are on the floor of Congress at a time when our country is in a very difficult place economically. This month, a record number of people have exhausted their unemployment benefits. Here we are on the floor of the House and instead of addressing that very pressing need for all of those families, we are taking up a second day of suspension bills.
I have no quarrel with our dealing with certain issues, like extending the hunting season for mourning doves, if that is necessary and that is our jurisdiction. That is something that should be a small part of what we do.
But the American people see us on TV. They see the irrelevance of what is going on on the floor of the House of Representatives. Can we not give to the workers of America the same due that we give to mourning doves, to extend the time frame for unemployment benefits?
Why does that not have at least as high priority to the Republican majority? Why do unemployed workers not receive the same priority as hunting season for mourning doves?
There was a proposal that was supposed to come to the floor today, which would have extended the unemployment benefits, but would have included a poison pill--a very unwise provision in terms of health benefits.
The Democratic proposal would have been very smart: extend the unemployment benefits at least 13 weeks, hopefully 26 weeks, again, recognizing that a record number of Americans are exhausting their unemployment benefits, and a plan to make the COBRA benefits available to unemployed workers.
When we had the tragedy of September 11, we immediately moved to bail out the airline industry. We had to do that. But that happened with the promise that we would shortly be addressing the needs of those Americans who lost their jobs as a result of September 11.
Six months later, we are still waiting for the Republican majority to bring a bill to the floor that adequately addresses those concerns. Instead, we are here this morning talking about extending hunting season for mourning doves.
I urge my colleagues to vote against the previous question.