Obama: Congress Shouldn't Have Left Town Without Extending Unemployment Benefits
Source: TPM
DANIEL STRAUSS – DECEMBER 20, 2013, 2:35 PM EST
President Barack Obama criticized Congress, and specifically Congressional Republicans, for going home for the holidays without coming to an agreement with Democrats on extending unemployment insurance.
Obama, speaking at a press conference Friday, first praised both Democratic and Republican lawmakers for coming to an agreement on the Murray-Ryan budget framework. But Obama then said that Republican lawmakers should have also come to an agreement with Democrats on extending unemployment benefits that cover roughly 1.3 million Americans who are seeking work.
"I believe that work should begin with something that Republicans should've done before leaving town this week and that's restoring the temporary insurance that helps folks make ends meet when they're looking for a job," Obama said.
The president then said extending unemployment benefits should be lawmakers' first order of business when they come back from their holiday vacation. "So when Congress comes back to work their first order of business should be to making this right," Obama said.
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Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/obama-republicans-shouldn-t-have-left-town-without-agreement-on-unemployment-benefits
Obama: 2014 Needs To Be A Year Of Action
IGOR BOBIC – DECEMBER 20, 2013, 2:27 PM EST
President Barack Obama called for a renewed sense of purpose in Washington on Friday, urging Congress to act on extending unemployment insurance, passing comprehensive immigration reform and raising the minimum wage.
"The bottom line is, 2014 needs to be a year of action," he said at a White House press conference. "We have work to do."
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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/obama-2014-needs-to-be-a-year-of-action
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