Bucking most Republicans and GOP Senate hopeful Sharron Angle, U.S. Rep. Dean Heller, R-Carson City, voted in favor of the House bill to extend unemployment benefits, despite his history of voting against most Democratic-backed economic measures, reports the Las Vegas Sun.
Here’s what Heller had to say in a press statement released today:
Today U.S. Congressman Dean Heller (R-NV) made the following statement on his vote in support of the Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act (H.R. 5618), which would extend unemployment compensation through November of this year.
“The economic downturn has hit Nevada especially hard. While I believe that this legislation should have been paid for, I cannot vote against the unemployment extension when so many Nevadans are struggling to get by. I am disappointed that the Majority Party has refused to allow my amendment to use unused stimulus funds to pay for the unemployment extension. There are ways to pay for this extension, and help the unemployed without contributing to the deficit,” said Heller.
Heller offered an amendment to the House Rules Committee that would have extended unemployment benefits and COBRA premium assistance fully paid for with unobligated stimulus funds. The Majority Party rejected the amendment.
“My number one priority in Congress is to turn our economy around and get Nevadans back to work. The failure of the stimulus continues to overshadow this economy. As I have stated before, Congress needs to focus on jobs, put partisan politics aside, and work towards real solutions that get Americans back to work,” added Heller.
