The fact that days continue to go by while people suffer, families are out of their homes, and men and women remain jobless and struggling during these harsh winter months is a dereliction of duty.

CNN: Limited Sandy relief vote to occur on Friday

In this case, he argued, middle- and lower-income families would benefit from the payroll-tax reduction, the extended jobless benefits and other elements of the deal, and that the package overall would stimulate job growth and the economy.

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After the tornado, both families appear to be in the same leaky boat homeless, jobless because the local economy has been ruined, and in need of cash to secure shelter and pay living expenses.

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