Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) on Tuesday railed against efforts by Democrats to extend long-term unemployment benefits, which expired at the end of 2013.
“I believe it is immoral for this country to have as a policy extending long-term unemployments [benefits] to people rather than us working on creation of jobs,” he said on the House floor, as quoted by the Huffington Post. “A job is the most important attribute, I believe, in a free enterprise system.”
Sessions said President Obama spends too much time speaking about the longterm unemployed and to little time facilitating legislation that would help create jobs.
“Too much time we have been hung up on, instead of the creation of jobs, we talk about the symptoms that are related to unemployment, and long-term unemployment,” he said. “In this case, the president of the United States thoughtfully articulates the need for us to make sure we help people, but I believe he errs on the side of not pushing jobs bills.”
Benefits for those who have been unemployed for six months or more expired on Dec. 28, 2013, leaving 1.3 million unemployed Americans without critical assistance.
