HR 589 Progress! Congressional Contact Information! Details to follow for action planned on Mon. & Tues.

Republican leaders in the House of Representatives have agreed to meet with two Democrats to discuss longshot legislation for the long-term unemployed, the members' offices confirmed Tuesday.

Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.) introduced legislation earlier this year to provide 14 additional weeks of unemployment benefits to Americans who've been out of work for six months or longer. Lee and Scott have spoken frequently about the struggles of so-called "99ers" -- people who still haven't found work after exhausting the maximum 99 weeks of benefits available in some states.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/22/99ers-bill-meeting-long-term-unemployed_n_838970.html

You beat me to the post... Let hope he means that he will be open to helping us.... and this is not just another ploy ..Sorry I just cant get my hopes up again.....

Judi58 wrote:You beat me to the post... Let hope he means that he will be open to helping us.... and this is not just another ploy ..Sorry I just cant get my hopes up again.....

Keep the faith, Judi! They have to do it because they haven't addressed Job Creation since the 112th Session of Congress began in early January!

DesperateInRI wrote:

Judi58 wrote:You beat me to the post... Let hope he means that he will be open to helping us.... and this is not just another ploy ..Sorry I just cant get my hopes up again.....

Keep the faith, Judi! They have to do it because they haven't addressed Job Creation since the 112th Session of Congress began in early January!

Not only that, with the price of oil skyrocketing so will UE numbers, whatever gains were made will quickly be wiped out in a very short amount of time.

CONTACT SPEAKER BOEHNER AND LEADER CANTOR TODAY!

Contact Information for Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor

Speaker John Boehner:
http://www.speaker.gov/Contact/
Leader Eric Cantor:
http://www.majorityleader.gov/Contact/

Tweet:

@SpeakerBoehner John Boehner
@GOPLeader Eric Cantor

Rep. Lee is encouraged that the Speaker has agreed to meet within the next few weeks to discuss how to provide emergency benefits for millions of long-term unemployed workers," Lee spokesman Joel Payne said. "Despite her strong belief that this should be considered emergency spending, the Congresswoman is committed to exhausting every possible option for passing this bill."

Okay... I will believe.... I wont be homeless and our goverment will come thorugh....

Keep contacting. It really hasn't been all in vain.

Let's not forget either, Speaker Boehner's home constituents are having just as difficult a time as all of us. He has to be hearing from 99ers in his home state as well. He is encouraging Republicans to "tout job creation", so let's see if he means it.
Please join in the fun!!!!!

Not buying it.

Cantor's office suggested he would steer the conversation toward job creation instead of just providing another 14 weeks of benefits.

Mayberry RFD has already made up his mind just with this statement alone.

" Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in an email. "He is looking forward to hearing Rep. Lee’s ideas for spending cuts that a majority in the House of Representatives can support.”

That doesn't say anything about unemployment extensions.

It's a smoke screen from the Tweedle Stupid brothers. They are still rabid dogs with their stupid bone and I believe this meeting is just a nicety, to make them look as if they care. And add to the fact is says....

have agreed to meet with Lee and Scott sometime in the next few weeks to discuss possible cuts to fund the benefits.

Next few weeks????? No URGENCY there is it. In a FEW weeks it will be April. And if they do anything, you can BET Jun at the earliest, and thats NOT counting the Senates, screw ups. Sorry I don't buy it. These clods have ONE TRACK minds and they have been holding on to that position for over 2 years. They have NO incentive to change. Remember WHO we are dealing with, same mind set that made this mess and who would throw their Grandmothers to wolves. Not buying it until I see a stack of money on the table. You can lie and BS me only so far. To me this smells more of the SAME.

Oh, as for JOB creation, we ALL know that takes LONGER to make a reality as it actually sounds. Just look at WHAT has NOT been done in 2 years. If they DID something back then you can bet ONLY now we would see results today. Anybody got 2 more years to give on this merry-go-round??? Then you throw into the MIX the discrimination that is an inherent part of the the JOBS problem and NO ONE has really addressed and HAS to to make ALL the JOBS, JOBS, JOBS thing to work. Survival Money first...THEN Jobs.

Well said mistermunster. All the more reason for us to avalance them with our stories, our letters and any communication you may wish to send. Let them know the urgency. Don't give up.

If they had started back in November working with companies to hire, schools for retraining, listening to what is needed maybe this meeting wouldn't be necessary. We all wouldn't have jobs, but our mass numbers would have been known, possibly a Jobs bill would have been voted on and steps would have been taken to get Job Creation under way.

I have been working on the Republicans today, back to the emails, please join me.

Ed Schultz mentioned the 99ers last night too. It was REAL quick but it was a shoutout.

I didn't see him last night. Thanks getthem.

We are coming back to life! Maybe they are listening!

We are tiya. Please keep up the pressure.

The money they just spent bombing Libya would have taken care of the long term for 14 weeks and then some.

Instead of pay cuts they give themselves tax breaks the hypocrisy is blinding.

Im going to take this as positive news and a step in the right direction.
The sooner the better the anxiety is killing me.

Hey Jobless! It is good news. Chill! It is going to happen. I am in the same situation as you, my EB runs out in a few weeks. Congress needs to help the millions who have already used all their benefits. Pretty soon, there will be millions more. Somebody posted they haven't even started to address job creation, so they can't use that as an excuse not to help us now.

mistermunster wrote:The money they just spent bombing Libya would have taken care of the long term for 14 weeks and then some.

Yes. I just saw it on CNN. It cost $100 Million per week.

The Reps had always money for war.

Judi58 wrote:You beat me to the post... Let hope he means that he will be open to helping us.... and this is not just another ploy ..Sorry I just cant get my hopes up again.....

Ditto!!!

GREAT NEWS!! This is a big step guys...our hard work advocating surely is working and we should double our efforts. This is the best news we have heard in a long time. Since the Republican Leaders are agreeing to meet with the Dems it definitely looks promising to me!

tiya wrote:Hey Jobless! It is good news. Chill! It is going to happen. I am in the same situation as you, my EB runs out in a few weeks. Congress needs to help the millions who have already used all their benefits. Pretty soon, there will be millions more. Somebody posted they haven't even started to address job creation, so they can't use that as an excuse not to help us now.

Tiya,

Don't tell a 99er to chill. You are still collecting your EB. It is easy to be smug and tell someone to CHILL. What about the people like myself who haven't seen a check for months and living off the little money we have in the bank. I don't mean to put you down but I find you pick the wrong word.



I am happy to hear that Boehner and Cantor will meet with Lee and Scott in a few weeks. A few weeks is a long time when we have been fighting for this for the past months. I pray that it goes through soon for all of us because we are hurting.

DITTO!
This is indeed good news!
But don't forget, this is still a "long shot", not a slam dunk by any means...
Which means we have to:

DesperateInRI wrote:

CONTACT SPEAKER BOEHNER AND LEADER CANTOR TODAY!

Contact Information for Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor

Speaker John Boehner:
http://www.speaker.gov/Contact/
Leader Eric Cantor:
http://www.majorityleader.gov/Contact/

Tweet:

@SpeakerBoehner John Boehner
@GOPLeader Eric Cantor

Rep. Lee is encouraged that the Speaker has agreed to meet within the next few weeks to discuss how to provide emergency benefits for millions of long-term unemployed workers," Lee spokesman Joel Payne said. "Despite her strong belief that this should be considered emergency spending, the Congresswoman is committed to exhausting every possible option for passing this bill."

Next few weeks. No urgency! Guess we must take what we can get!