UPDATE: The extension has passed, and it has strings attached, but both Reid and Duffy supported it and Ryan voted against it.
Feb 14 – Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to convince someone you’re awesome. By showering the object of your affection with cards, gifts, and flowers you may persuade them to accept that you are a worthy suitor. Concerned constituents also had persuasion in mind when they took to the offices of representatives Ryan, Duffy, and Ribble this holiday. They were there to convince them to continue to extend unemployment insurance throughout 2012 with no strings attached.
After the fight in December to keep the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance (UI) extension alive through the end of February, Congress was gearing up to battle yet again over the same issues. The GOP caucus in the House was willing to extend unemployment insurance, but only if paid for by cutting other programs and only with a slew of additional requirements. These new requirements would mandate recipients of UI benefits have a high-school diploma or GED and to submit to drug testing. In addition, the new rules would make jobless workers pay for their reemployment services and would slash benefits by half in the hardest hit states. Unwilling to settle for this insulting proposal, unemployed constituents gathered on Valentine’s Day to urge Wisconsin’s Republican congressmen to “have a heart” and extend UI without these demeaning new mandates.
Groups delivered Valentine’s cards to Rep. Duffy’s office in Wausau, Rep. Ribble’s office in Appleton, and Rep. Ryan’s office in Kenosha. Constituents not only urged their legislators to support the UI extension, but also demanded to know whether or not they would vote for the extension with no strings attached. Unfortunately, the congressmen’s office staff were unable to deliver a straightforward yes-or-no answer to constituents, instead rehashing the same GOP talking points or bringing up the fact that the congressman voted for unemployment insurance back in December.
Thankfully, at the same time as our demonstration, real progress was being made in Washington towards a compromise, and at the time of this writing, “the tentative deal to extend the payroll tax cut and jobless benefits through December could get final congressional approval as soon as Friday, presuming nothing is changed.” Bowing to public pressure, the GOP seems to have conceded their ludicrous demands, and they will be advancing the UI extension without additional requirements.
Once passed, not only will this law help needy families who rely on UI as their only source of income, but it will serve as an example of the power of direct constituent action in shaping our national policy. With continued involvement from the dedicated citizens of Wisconsin, this victory will surely be one of many.
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