WASHINGTON – More than 1.3 million laid-off workers won’t get their unemployment benefits reinstated before Congress goes on a weeklong vacation for Independence Day.
An additional 200,000 people who have been without a job for at least six months stand to lose their benefits each week, unless Congress acts.
For the third time in as many weeks, Republicans in the Senate successfully filibustered a bill Wednesday night to continue providing unemployment checks to people who been laid off for long stretches. The House is slated to vote on a similar measure Thursday, though the Senate’s action renders the vote a futile gesture as Congress prepares to depart Washington for its holiday recess.
A little more than 1.3 million people have already lost benefits since the last extension ran out at the end of May.
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Wow. Patently blatant lies from the Senate Majority Leader printed right there in black and white. The GOP has, on numerous occasions, said they would vote on a stand-alone measure to extend unemployment benefits. The Republicans also suggested--gasp!--that ol' Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi loosen up some of the 40 % of stimulus funds that have gone unspent to help the underemployed."It is beyond disappointing that Republicans continue to stand almost lockstep against assistance for out-of-work Americans," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Neither of these scenarios were acceptable to Dems who wanted to load the measure up with lots of other items in a pathetic attempt to get the GOP on record as being "against assistance for out-of-work Americans." Democrats need all this kind of help they can get for November's elections and the AP seems more than willing to oblige.
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