Statement from Rep. Sander Levin, House W & M Ranking Member on Proposed 2 Month Extension

What is your view on the short-term Senate deal? Here is what Rep. Sandy Levin said: "A two-month extension of unemployment insurance and the payroll tax cut is wholly inadequate as the American people digging out of the deepest recession in decades deserve much more certainty and compassion about their economic distress.

Medicare patients also deserve to know after a lifetime of hard work that their doctors will be there when they need them.

During this two-month period, workers in some of the hardest-hit states, including Michigan, are projected to lose access to the 20-week Extended Benefits program and with very little warning tens of thousands of long-term unemployed Americans will be cut off unemployment insurance.

This is as a result of the complete unwillingness of Republicans to ask the very wealthy to sacrifice some of their tax breaks so we can get our economy back on a more stable footing. At every turn, whether it is jobs legislation or deficit reduction, the consistent priority of the Republican majority is protecting the tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.

Our nation’s workers thrown out of a job through no fault of their own deserve better."