Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today issued a statement urging the extension of unemployment benefits.

          Following is Senator Feinstein's statement:

“This morning, 2 million Americans woke up in crisis because their unemployment benefits have expired in the midst of one of the worst job markets in decades. As Republicans continue to fight for tax cuts for millionaires, I hope they can spare some compassion for the millions of Americans worried about paying the rent and bills this holiday season.

Unless Congress acts, the holidays will be a dark time for many of these Americans and their families—especially in California, which has a jobless rate of 12.4 percent. Some 2.3 million Californians are looking for work and relying on the safety net of unemployment benefits to tide them over. What are they supposed to do if they can’t find a job and lose those benefits?

I believe Congress must take action to protect these individuals and their families during this unemployment crisis. I support an immediate extension of unemployment benefits because I feel it’s our responsibility to keep American families from falling into the despair of poverty during these tough economic times.”

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