Senate Democrats Break Filibuster to Extend Unemployment Benefits
by: Mike Ludwig, t r u t h o u t | Report
Senate Democrats defeated a Republican filibuster Tuesday and are expected to pass legislation that will grant a six-month extension of unemployment benefits for an estimated 2.5 million Americans.
The 60-40 vote to break the filibuster and end debate on the bill was expected after Sen. Carte Goodwin (D-West Virginia) was sworn in to replace the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia).
Republicans blocked the legislation three times in as many weeks over concerns about deficit spending. The bill most recently failed to pass the Senate by one vote on June 30.
The House is expected to quickly pass the bill, which will then be sent to President Barack Obama for approval. Obama blasted Republican lawmakers on Monday for stalling the bill, appearing at a press conference with three unemployed workers.
Obama and his allies in Congress claim the $33.9 billion in emergency unemployment funding will stimulate the economy and bring much needed relief to the Americans who have been out of work the longest.
The benefits expired in June, and the new bill will retroactively fund benefits from June through November.
The Hill reported that two Maine Republicans, Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, joined Democrats in breaking the filibuster, but conservatives continued to complain about passing a bill without a plan to pay for it.
"The fact is, this debate isn't about unemployment insurance," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) said on the floor Tuesday morning. "There's no debate in the Senate about whether we should pass a bill. Everyone agrees that we should. This debate is about whether in extending these benefits we should add to the debt or not."
Meanwhile, a big emergency war supplemental to fund operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and bolster border security has enjoyed healthy support from Republicans as Democrats in Congress squabbled with the White House over domestic education funding riding on the bill.
Unemployed Americans have been out of work longer than any other time in history. The share of families with at least one unemployed member rose 4.2 percent to 9.4 million families last year, the highest number since the Labor Department began tracking them in 1994.

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Comments
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Ah, but Mitch, let's for
Tue, 07/20/2010 - 21:39 β Jack E Lohman (not verified)Ah, but Mitch, let's for sure extend the Bush tax cuts. You know, that creates "jobs!" But wait... the Bush tax cuts have been in effect for years and we have no jobs. So much for that argument.
Jack Lohman ...
http://MoneyedPoliticians.net
Let's reverse the Bush tax
Tue, 07/20/2010 - 21:54 β Anonarcmous (not verified)Let's reverse the Bush tax cuts-- maybe even increase them?-- for the +wealthy to automatically cover for unemployment--"everyone agrees we should.." TAKES Republicans to FINDING a way to do it instead of playing dumb.
Well extending their dole is
Tue, 07/20/2010 - 22:54 β Stephen (not verified)Well extending their dole is a nice gesture which I'm sure they will enjoy. They better hang on to some of it, altho most will squander it as they are used to. They will never make that kind of money again. You can be sure they won't look for work either until the bennies run out, after all, why work for less than the bennies?
For the millions of us who have nothing and are underpaid it is all meaningless.
The ill gotten gains of the pigs should be severely taxed and the money used to help the poor.
Anyway, knee-jerk dem liberals and union thugs can pat themselves on the back for now, but it is the disenfranchised majority whose votes will rule if America can remain a democracy.
While repiglicans are despised everywhere, there are plenty of fat dem pigs to be booted from office too this election.....
Stephen@22:54 - Well sir,
Tue, 07/20/2010 - 23:32 β Anonymous (not verified)Stephen@22:54 - Well sir, I'm now collecting unemployment benefits after 40 years of solid work. Four of those in the military. My position was "discontinued" and I've been unable to find anything for one year. I bit the bullet and didn't apply for benefits for 6 months thinking there are those who need it more than me. Guess what? My savings ran out quicker than I thought because when loosing my job my health insurance went with it. I've had dental and medical expenses to cover as well as having to replace the engine in my car. I can't afford a new car because I don't have a job. Once receiving benefits all that I got went to pay bills and buy food. Do you really think people who can't find jobs "squander" their benefits? You're a jerk. I hope you never find yourself in the position millions have been put in because very, very rich greedy people screwed up our economy. Not the people on unemployment benefits. I had deductions from my payroll checks for 40 years. I have a right to some of that money back. I'm 63 and who want's to hire a 63 year old man.
Why would anybody in their
Wed, 07/21/2010 - 01:52 β Art (not verified)Why would anybody in their right mind vote for them?
It just seems a little bit seems illogical that's all based upon a few things.
Do I have to point out the actions and mis-deeds that would seem to exempt that party from having any success, unless you were a total idiot and just went ahead voted for any of them during this,the largest financial crises ever since the great depression of 1929, that they undeniably, unmistakebly was caused in a large part due to the de-regulation over the years while taking lobbyist bribes and favors and resulting in among ather travesties such as putting, (at the very least), 15 million American people out of work, indefinatly.
While taking a stimulating direct spending effect for the economic recovery off the table completely.
They had no problem, didn't have to think twice, or even so much as read the TARP bailout funding bill which amounted to at least, in the hundreds of billions of $, rewarding, as well has helping Corporations and their cronies profit enormously, from the out of control, corrupt Wall street casino like machine, and fed reserve profit printing buck machine, and then go on vacation, then return just to spit on many of their own constituancy, along with their families that counted on them (however mis-guidedly) to finally, in the end, do the RIGHT thing.
Not everybody it turns out, is an elite millionaire Republican, even though they just may feel all warm and fuzzy thinking that they are, albiet just a by party affiliation called voting for them. The Democratic party is not innocent either, for the same reasons, but has wisely laid low and not acted with as much arrogance, and has not blatantly and recklessly, hurt so many American families that happen to work for a living. Not recently at least or as they say...in RECENT MEMORY!
Lost jobs and homes.A new underclass created virtually over night in what once was... and hopefully may still be the greatest country in the world. No mercy once again from the very same banks and corporations that accepted bailout money and gave themselves unbelievabley shameful bonuses.
No effective and useful consumer relief laws to help homeowners save their homes.
Homeowners along with thier families continue hurting and imploding, disintegrating as a result of the banks, Corporations, and Washington's own incompetance and greed.
Usually associated with Republicans although not universally, as both of the broken two party system have traditionally had members that are strong believers in capitolism, and the idea of a lawless self regulating free market system, which obviously needs more regulation brought back on the books, which have incrementally over time, been removed from the books or in loosened up language including easy loopholes and lack of white collar crime enforcement due to lobbyists bribing our representatives (servants) on both sides of the aisle, and campaign finance that is long over due for a makeover, as well as real transparencey as to what goes on behind the many closed door decision making deals, that effect America as a whole,accomplished by our elite little group of dedicated public servants and private global elitests in the Corporate sector.
In other words creation of a sweet set-up they have both made for themselves in order to profit from the unimaginably huge sums of cash generated by fleecing and abusing the hard working taxpayers in the lower 97% of the basic wage earners scale. Both parties but Repulicans have been a bit too noisy about it and less careful it seems lately.
The most recent, blatant, openly public, partying, and bonus taking frenzy, occuring since the Wall street and banking industry collapse and quick taxpayer bailout, was a horrible display of arrogance, exemplifying the historically record breaking, Federal Reserve gusher of taxpayer funded rewards, went for amoral, sociopathic,greedy, beyond the realms of over the top criminal behavior.
Many, many, voters sucked in mostly by talk radio shows success as well as cable PR cheerleaders believed in the GOP's successful propaganda machine have themselves lost everything due to the greed, corruption and incompetance of the GOP.The average working person that was a GOP voter, now look like deer in the headlights.
This is only the tip of the iceberg and in keeping only within The Bush administration timeline. Both political parties are obviously, and without a shadow of a doubt beyond corrupt as well as inept.
Carelessly demonstrating their outward blatent arrogance, and false confidence by letting the 15 million out of work Americans down and destroyed. Oh yes calling them lazy, while the Senate goes off for vacation during this fourth of July was just the smartest move of recent memory too; all the while coddling the Corporations and Bankers to a tune of hundreds of billions of dollars just sooo close before a relatively critical election takes place.
Obama safely just had to scold them like little crabby red faced babies, spoiled rotten and unwilling to be nice and share. They came back from a lavish wonderful holiday in the millionaire summer manchines with their families just in time to throw 2 million Americans their little crumbs of cake, and screw the unprecedented hell out of the other13 to 14 million,on the books at least; Americans.
Now these Americans, it has been pointed out by, ohYeah...the Republicans!, have been living high off the hog just like, you guessed it... the Senators!, on vacation,and have been doing the high life thing too, and on top of it, THEY (The un-employed must be doing drugs as well), and on top of it all managing to keep the children properly fed, clothed, and the rent current or better yet their mortgages paid, automobiles payments made on time, and do not forget_fueled by BP(Beyond Pathetic) as well as other basic expenses, simply by making a third or less than they used to bring home after taxes, while they were still employed in the pre-depression work forcethey were laid - off from due to the actions of Wall Street, The banksters (as I have heard them referred to these days) in bed together with our highly paid public servants.
Hmmm, sounds like a narrow minded, self centered bunch of servants or representatives we hired, that call themselves...REPUBLICANS!!_ by the people, for the people_ or blah blah blah none sensicle goofballs after this. But who knows?
I could be off, but it's just a bit too much for me to ignore by myself when diciding on whats the best group out of 2 out there to run things, at least I will consider some of this, before I vote this November.
So as usual you may want to take it all with a grain of salt, just to be consistant and vote like goofy nutcases that love shooting themselves
in the foot, over and over, and over again in every election for the past 40 years, what's one more time, during a Recession-Depression era anyway?
"Senate Democrats Break
Wed, 07/21/2010 - 02:48 β Anonymous (not verified)"Senate Democrats Break Filibuster to Extend Unemployment Benefits"
Well, I think the Democrats have been doing their job this time.
Maybe we can hope there are a few democrats who have guts...
There's no tax on hope yet. So I might be able to afford hope. Who knows?
"but conservatives continued
Wed, 07/21/2010 - 02:59 β Anonymous (not verified)"but conservatives continued to complain about passing a bill without a plan to pay for it."
I suppose those gentleman believe there is a plan to pay fir Afghanistan and Iraq.
Otherwise I am really in the fog.
Am I ?
And they want to extend the
Wed, 07/21/2010 - 04:23 β Anonymous (not verified)And they want to extend the bush tax cuts for the wealthy costing billions more but they have no plan to pay for it. The republicans always demand pay as you go when they are out of power. Gingrich had it in his contract for America and look how that turned out.
Someone with journalistic
Wed, 07/21/2010 - 08:59 β Anonymous (not verified)Someone with journalistic access to McConnell
please ask him, the lying s.o.b., if he opposes
taking the 33 billions out of the overbloated
military+"intelligence" budget. Or out of the
tax breaks for the rich. McConnellis a lying
s.ob.
McConnell is so clueless
Wed, 07/21/2010 - 11:27 β Anonymous (not verified)McConnell is so clueless that he should be stuck in a flower pot & watered.
War good, help no good. Thinly disguised population control.
Can we re title this
Wed, 07/21/2010 - 15:16 β droslovinia (not verified)Can we re title this article? Something like "Senate Democrats Grow a Set" or "Senate Democrats Temporarily Display Something Like a Spine"? If you want to know why their in trouble for the upcoming midterm elections, look no further than their fear of doing things, lest they offend the Republicans and their allies at FauxNews. BTW, where did you think that money is going to go, if not right back into the economy?
STEPHEN: What a dumb, stale
Wed, 07/21/2010 - 18:39 β Anonymous (not verified)STEPHEN:
What a dumb, stale and pathetic argument.
AND one which is, frankly, insulting to millions of people.
I'd bet all I have that you never got any job on your own, that someone set you up with an interview and/or otherwise greased the wheels.
Grow up
Our economy is in a
Fri, 07/23/2010 - 23:50 β Erich Von Freemason (not verified)Our economy is in a shambles. Paying people to produce nothing of economic value will only make things worse and take money from activities that do add to the economy.