Praising the Passage of Unemployment Benefits Extension, Kendrick Meek Attacks Republicans

U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, currently in the middle of a bitter battle with Jeff Greene for the Democratic nomination in the U.S. Senate race, praised Congress for extending unemployment benefits on Thursday -- and turned his fire on the Republicans for looking to block the measure.

"For weeks, Republicans have blocked aid for unemployed Floridians and their families, choosing to play politics with lives of middle-class families instead of working hard to create jobs, said Meek who places far behind independent candidate Gov. Charlie Crist and likely Republican candidate Marco Rubio.

"This debate made one thing clear -- we cannot afford to return to same, tired Republican policies of the past that drove our economy into the ditch in the first place, said Meek. "My fight has always been to stand up for middle-class Florida families and get Floridians back to work. In the U.S. Senate, I will continue to fight for Florida jobs and to get our economy moving again."