Arthur Delaney arthur@huffingtonpost.com | HuffPost Reporting
Republicans in the Senate, along with Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson, had blocked the bill because its $33 billion cost was not "paid for."
For 49 days after the benefits lapsed, Republicans and Nelson complained that deficit spending would worsen the economy, and many wondered whether extended benefits don't actually make people too lazy to look for work.
The official line from Republicans has been that the cost of the benefits needed to be offset by taking funds from the 2009 stimulus bill.
"Republicans support extending benefits to the unemployed," said Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the Republican leader in the Senate:
As the president himself said yesterday, we've repeatedly voted for similar bills in the past. And we are ready to support one now. What we do not support -- and we make no apologies for -- is borrowing tens of billions of dollars to pass this bill at a time when the national debt is spinning completely out of control.
The GOP was trying to use Economic Stimulis money to pay for the unemployment extension.
However, nearly 100 per cent of that money is already obligated. At the same time the GOP wants to extend the Bush tax cuts for the affluent that are set to expire in November.
Subscribe to the Rightardia feed: feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/IGiu Netcraft
rank: 15549
http://toolbar.netcraft.com/site_report?url=http://rightardia.blogspot.com
Maine Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins joined Democrats in breaking the filibuster; Ben Nelson stuck with the GOP. Democrats' previous attempt failed by one vote after the death of Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) in June. His replacement, Carte Goodwin, gave the Democrats the 60 votes they needed.
For 49 days after the benefits lapsed, Republicans and Nelson complained that deficit spending would worsen the economy, and many wondered whether extended benefits don't actually make people too lazy to look for work.
The official line from Republicans has been that the cost of the benefits needed to be offset by taking funds from the 2009 stimulus bill.
"Republicans support extending benefits to the unemployed," said Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the Republican leader in the Senate:
As the president himself said yesterday, we've repeatedly voted for similar bills in the past. And we are ready to support one now. What we do not support -- and we make no apologies for -- is borrowing tens of billions of dollars to pass this bill at a time when the national debt is spinning completely out of control.
The GOP was trying to use Economic Stimulis money to pay for the unemployment extension.
However, nearly 100 per cent of that money is already obligated. At the same time the GOP wants to extend the Bush tax cuts for the affluent that are set to expire in November.
Subscribe to the Rightardia feed: feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/IGiu Netcraft
rank: 15549
http://toolbar.netcraft.com/site_report?url=http://rightardia.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment