U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, issued the following statement Wednesday night upon passage of unemployment insurance extension by the U.S. Senate:

“Today’s vote is a victory for the more than 112,000 Ohioans whose unemployment insurance has been affected by obstructionism on the Senate floor. I’ve gone to the Senate floor day after day to read letters from these Ohioans aimed at reminding my colleagues that unemployment insurance isn’t welfare – it’s insurance that you pay into while you’re working so you can support your family and pay your bills if you get laid off.

“Extending unemployment insurance isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s also the smart thing to do for our economy. According to one of Sen. John McCain’s top economic advisors on his campaign, each dollar spent on unemployment insurance returns $1.63 to the local economy as families use the money to buy groceries, pay their bills, and hold onto their homes.

“Passing unemployment insurance is an important step toward stabilizing our economy. We must continue to work alongside the private sector to create jobs, help unfreeze the credit market for small businesses, and rebuild American manufacturing.”

-- John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com