Congress Out of Touch on Importance of Unemployment Insurance

Lawmakers Close to Making Their Own ‘$10,000 Bet’ Gaffe If No Action Taken

(WASHINGTON)—Congress continues to ignore the looming deadline to extend federal unemployment insurance from expiring, leaving millions of Americans who depend on this benefit to wonder how they will make ends meet in 2012.

“With about 3.5 million people relying on unemployment benefits, why has this issue become a political game?” said Deepak Bhargava, executive director of the Campaign for Community Change. “Letting this benefit expire will hurt so many hardworking Americans and their families. Republicans in Congress are close to committing their own $10,000 bet gaffe if they don’t take any action. Mitt Romney showed just how out of touch he is with Americans when he proposed that ridiculous bet with Rick Perry.”

Ten grand may not seem like a lot to millionaires in Congress (and Romney), but this is what it means to the 99%, according to Media Matters for America:

**$10,000 is about four months in pay.

**$10,000 buys you a year’s worth of tuition at a public, four-year college.

**$10,000 buys a whole lot of groceries.

“Let’s hope Congress will extend the federal unemployment insurance so that millions of Americans can start 2012 with enough security to find full-time jobs with good pay and benefits,” Bhargava said.