Chairman Cleaver’s Statement Urging the House to Pass the Bi-Partisan Senate Bill Extending the Payroll Tax Cut and Unemployment Benefits

Washington, DC – Chairman Emanuel Cleaver, II released the following statement today urging the House to pass the Bipartisan Senate bill extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits:

“Politics cannot work without compromise. Time and time again the Republican Leadership has walked away from legislative compromise which addresses critical issues facing the American people instead of working together to find solutions. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are not pleased with all aspects of this bill, but equally understand what is at stake if we do not pass it. This bill extends unemployment benefits through the end of February for millions of American families, reduces taxes for our middle class, and prohibits the discriminatory and unfair standards to obtain critical funding through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs (TANF).

“We cannot always get everything we want. That is a fact of life that we learn from infancy, but it is our job to ensure that we do what is best for the American people. The Members of the Congressional Black Caucus believe that we still have an opportunity to show the American people that we have their best interests in mind. As we enter into the holiday season, let us drop politics as usual and put the American people first and pass this bill.”

- Chairman Emanuel Cleaver, II