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.
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.