Unemployment Extension Bill Moves Ahead, Florida’s LeMieux Says No

On Tuesday afternoon, the Senate finally passed, in a 60-40 vote, a much-watered down version of the 2010 Unemployment Extension Benefits Bill after months of filibustering by the GOP-minority.  The motion to proceed with the bill was realized shortly after the swearing-in of Senator Carte Goodwin (D-West Virginia) and with support of Republican Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine.

The $34 billion relief measure, once passed by Congress is expected to extend emergency relief for jobless Americans who are hurting badly through no fault of their own.

But not so fast. The partisan minority are exercising another delaying legislative tactic to hold off final passage by using up all of the 30 hours of debate time allotted.

Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid said in a statement, “Now, I hope the American people understand how callous this is. People are desperate, can’t make house payments, car payments, can’t pay for kids’ food. And they are having us wait for 30 hours after cloture’s been invoked.”

Republican Senators, including Florida’s George LeMieux , along with Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) voted against the bill for the fourth time, arguing that the $34 billion was not “paid for” and that it would worsen the deficit. Some have also suggested that extending unemployment benefits would actually deter the jobless from looking for work, making them lazy.

The truth is, Republicans have repeatedly voted for similar bills in the past.  And while they argue that the extension of unemployment benefits would cost too much and must be paid for, Republicans have no problem calling for the extension of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest, which will cost Americans 20 times more.

Americans should know that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has indicated that extending unemployment benefits is the most efficient way for the government to generate economic growth.  That is, for every $1 spent to help the unemployed, it creates $1.90 in economic output.

Moreover, economists agree that extending unemployment insurance benefits will create jobs and reduce the chances of the economy slipping into a double dip recession.

Mark Zandi, Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics, had this to say, “I firmly believe that extending emergency unemployment insurance benefits and providing more help for the state governments is vital at this point to ensure that the housing downturn doesn’t take the broader economy with it.”

And even though about 62 percent of Americans support the extension of unemployment benefits for jobless workers, Republicans, if they have their way, are determined not to provide some support to those struggling to find a job and get back on their feet in these tough economic times.

President Obama said in a statement following the vote that, he will “continue to fight for economic policies that will lead us out of this mess, and press Congress to act on more proposals to create new American jobs and strengthen our recovery, including a small business jobs bill, aid for struggling states to prevent layoffs, and tax cuts for middle class families.”