Bill to extend jobless benefits faces Senate showdown

[Joanne98]

Congress is poised for another partisan showdown over extending unemployment insurance, as concerns about the growing budget deficit have complicated the path forward for an otherwise popular program.

On its first day back in session following a two-week recess, the Senate is scheduled to vote Monday on whether to end debate on a measure extending jobless benefits, subsidies for the COBRA health insurance program and federal flood insurance through May 5. Democrats will need at least one Republican supporter to get the 60 votes necessary to proceed.

The Senate failed to agree on the bill in late March, after Republicans rejected an attempt to expedite the measure's passage. Because of the impasse, beginning April 5 more than 200,000 unemployed people who had already exhausted their states' jobless benefits could not apply for additional benefits from the federal program, according to estimates by the National Employment Law Project, a liberal advocacy group.

Each party has been eager to blame the other for the cutoff.

Democrats point out that they easily moved an extension through the House and were primed to do the same in the Senate before Republicans, led by Sen. Tom Coburn (Okla.), stood in the way.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/11/AR2010041103586.html

[Bitwit1234]

1. You could tell him that is would be so nice if he was sitting

on the other side. That he was unemployed and that he could never be elected for even garbage picker again.

[Ohio Joe]

2. Obstruction

The repugs do not really care about unemployment, they care about trying to stand in the way of anything the democratic party tries to do.