Main Street

Will Senate Finally Vote to Extend Unemployment Benefits?

After a month of shameless political and procedural delays by Senate Republicans, it appears that the Senate may soon get to vote to extend unemployment insurance payments to the 1.3 million Americans whose benefits would run out by the end of this year.

But last night The Detroit News reported that the vote may be delayed yet again.

Today, the Senate has been grinding its way through a 30-hour period of debate that ends shortly before midnight.

Senate Democrats and Republicans haven’t been able to work out a deal to proceed more quickly to a vote because Republicans are upset the majority party won’t let them offer more amendments.

Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., defended the delay by fellow Republicans.

Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., shot back that during the 26-day delay by Republicans, 180,000 Americans cashed their final unemployment checks.

“When the unemployment check ends, they know it,” Durbin said. “Because that’s the check that puts bread on the table, that’s the check that pays the mortgage and the utility bills, keeps their family together.”

The Senate bill would extend 14 additional weeks of benefits to all states, plus six more weeks for states with at least an 8.5 percent unemployment rate. Michigan’s rate is 15.3 percent — the highest in the nation.

The House passed legislation in late September that would target 13 weeks of additional benefits solely to states with at least 8.5 percent unemployment.

Meanwhile, 600,000 Americans have cashed their last checks. Without congressional action, 1.3 million Americans will have gone through their last checks by year’s end.

Every day of delay another 7,000 jobless Americans lose their unemployment insurance. Today is another one of those days. Contact your Senators to tell them “No more delays on extending unemployment benefits!”

Tags: unemployment, unemployment extension