Millions of long-term unemployed Americans and their families breathed a temporary sigh of relief late last year after House Republicans -- at the 11th hour -- reluctantly agreed to extend federal unemployment insurance into the new year.

"I am crying I am so relieved for the 2 months of relief,"...

This morning the Senate voted for a two-month extension of federal unemployment insurance and the payroll tax cut after Republicans in Congress once again balked at extending the vital provisions through 2012. Such a short-term extension is wholly inadequate. The American people digging out of the deepest recession in decades...

In little more than two weeks, federal unemployment insurance will begin to expire. And almost immediately, the impact would be felt throughout the country. By Feb. 18, more than 2 million Americans will have lost their unemployment insurance, a weekly benefit that -- while averaging just $300 -- provides vital...

House Republicans on Thursday unveiled a proposal to dramatically scale back federal unemployment insurance, slashing by 40 weeks Americans' eligibility for assistance. The plan -- apparently cheered by Republican House members in a closed-door meeting Thursday morning -- would leave millions of Americans out in the cold as they search...

With nearly 7 million fewer jobs in the economy today than when the recession started in December 2007, unemployed workers are facing a job market where over four people are fighting for every job opening, and long-term unemployment is at a record high.

Our country has a federal emergency...

When people think about Michigan, they usually think about cars. They should also think about tanks.

In 1940, President Roosevelt called on American industry to become the "great arsenal of democracy." Automotive manufacturers in Michigan responded and converted their assembly lines from cars to tanks and helped America win World...

There are few issues more vital to our state of Michigan, as well as our nation, than advanced manufacturing and trade. The "Make it in America" agenda is a plan to rebuild the American manufacturing sector through various pieces of legislation introduced by members in the Democratic caucus. Several of...

A few months ago, on the eve of Congress's vote on healthcare reform, I received a letter that summed up what this is all about: strengthening the basic economic security of the middle class.

The letter's writer, a woman from Warren, is a teacher whose daughter was born with a...

Originally appeared in Sunday's Macomb Daily.

In the mid-1980s, someone at the Coca-Cola Company had the bright idea of changing the formula of the nation's most popular soft drink. In one of the biggest public relations debacles of all time, the company's effort to convince Americans to switch to New...

At the end of May, federal emergency unemployment compensation began to dry up. Since then, each week, thousands of Americans have lost their unemployment insurance -- putting additional strain on struggling families, communities, and making the pain felt by unemployed workers even worse.

As of July 9, more than 90,000...

At the end of May, federal emergency unemployment compensation began to disappear. Each week since then thousands of people have lost their unemployment insurance. By the end of next week the number of people dropped will reach 90,000 in Michigan and over two million nationwide.

The House passed an extension...