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Jobless Benefits Extension Will Need 60 Votes in the Senate

Having beaten the Republican obstruction spearheaded by Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) of a 30-day continuation of extended unemployment benefits last week, the Senate returns today to a larger measure that would continue those programs through 2010.

The New York Times reported yesterday:

The tax measure on the Senate floor would extend added unemployment benefits and health insurance subsidies for those out of work through December while also renewing more than $31 billion in tax breaks sought by the business community. It will also have to return to the House, and approval of that bill is likely weeks off.

But Democrats would like to complete it by the end of the month, since the temporary extension of the unemployment benefits that survived last week’s temporary blockade by Senator Jim Bunning, Republican of Kentucky, will again be expiring. Senators would no doubt like to avoid a repeat of that clash.

Late last week Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed a motion for cloture on the unemployment and COBRA subsidy extension legislation — generically known as the tax-extenders bill — and that will require 60 votes in the Senate to pass.

Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) proposed a joint amendment combining emergency aid and employment assistance to needy families with an expanded program providing summer jobs for young people. Unfortunately, the amendment just failed to gain the 60 votes required to waive the Senate’s budget rule and was tabled.

The Kerry-Murray amendment would have made $1.3 billion available to extend the TANF Emergency Fund program through March 2011, an additional 6 months beyond its current September 2010 expiration. The amendment would also have provided another $1.3 billion to create an estimated 500,000 summer jobs and training opportunities for young people up to the age of 24 across the country. In failing to pass the amendment, the Senate caved to pressure from those more concerned with the politics of deficit fears than the well-being of America’s struggling families.

As the latest jobs report showed, nearly 16 million Americans are unemployed, according to the not-seasonally-adjusted statistics. An estimated 11 million are receiving essential unemployment benefits, while more than 6 million have remained jobless for six months or more.

The Senate needs to pass the jobless aid extension measure — it’s an economic and moral imperative.

You can help get the 60 votes to pass these essential programs.
Click here to connect with your Senators and tell them to pass the unemployment insurance and COBRA extensions today.

Tags: COBRA, jobless benefits extentsion, unemployment