Blog - Unemployment Benefits Extension Vote Set for Tuesday 
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Unemployment Benefits Extension Vote Set for Tuesday
October 23, 2009 - by Donny Shaw
For the past three weeks, Democrats in the Senate have been trying to quickly pass an extension of unemployment benefits for the growing number of long-term unemployed Americans, only to have their bill blocked each time by the Republicans. Earlier this week, Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid [D, NV] filed for cloture on the bill in an attempt to overcome the Republican-led opposition and move the bill forward towards becoming law. The vote on cloture, which will require 60 votes to pass and will put every member of the Senate down on record, is scheduled for Tuesday.
“On an issue like this that should transcend party labels, we had high hopes that Senate Republicans would stand with us. But the disturbing Republican trend of stonewalling any progress continues,” Reid said in a statement after scheduling the vote.
According to the National Employment Law Project, 400,000 unemployed Americans exhausted their unemployment benefits in September and another 200,000 will do so by the end of October. That averages out to 7,000 people per day reaching the end of their benefits in the face of an increasingly bleak job market.
The Senate Democrats’ bill would extend unemployment insurance benefits for jobless Americans who have exhausted their benefits by 14 more weeks. In states with unemployment rates above 8.5 percent, the benefits would be extended for an additional 6 weeks on top of that. As Adam Doster at Progress Illinois notes, the bill will not grant the benefits retroactively for people who exhaust their benefits before the bill is signed into law.
The bill is in the form of an amendment, S. Amdt. 2668, to the House version, H.R. 3548, which was approved by the House on September 22nd by a vote of 331-83. The House version is significantly weaker. It would only extend the benefits by 13 weeks and only in states with unemployment rates above 8.5 percent. That would leave about 20 states without the extension, even though many of those states have cities and geographic regions within them where the jobless rates are well above 10 percent.
Senate Republicans have repeatedly said that they do not oppose extending the benefits, they just want it to be paid for with stimulus funds instead of a continuation of the unemployment tax on businesses.
But in addition to the funding issue, Republicans have been trying to use the bill as a vehicle for several unrelated amendments on issues such as illegal immigration, funding for ACORN and an extension of the first-time homebuyers’ tax credit. The Republicans know that their amendments would not pass on their own and are trying to use the politically popular unemployment bill to squeeze them through. “These are tactics that Republicans have used in the past to delay,” an aide to Majority Leader Reid told Mike Lillis at the Washington Independent. “It seems as if they aren’t negotiating in good faith on this.”
Democrats are hoping to fend off all Republican amendments on Tuesday and pass a clean bill that can be sent quickly to a House-Senate conference committee for reconciliation and then back to each chamber for one more final vote.
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Comments
Displaying 1-30 of 86 total comments.
This is good news!
In my outlook of this crisises in America I only wish our founding fathers were here to see how the country is being tore apart by the greed in our goverment,and lack of respect for the people,remember we the people. The problem here is failure to communicate, our elected officials are getting a pay check so to hell with our registered voters. If I had a time machine I would bring forward our leaders from the past to kick the living hell out of our servants in the present. PISSED OFF IN OHIO!!!!!! Quite being better than everyone else and do your F—-ing jobs so we can do ours. What other rights are you wanting to take from us. We the people have had it and we still know how to kick ass just like the minute men did the last time this country came together to fight tyranny.
PISSED OFF IN OHIO, VERY WELL SAID. I am also in ohio and VERY PISSED OFF!!!!!
This is good news If only they pass the bill on 27th…and in the bill I might add they make this affected ASAP with no RESTRICTIONS…Do you not see it SENATOR’S there are 14 million people UNEMPLOYED and Struggling and need this bill…to SURVIVE…for what ever “we the people” have left…
Senator’s Get off your high horse and pass the dam bill..NO RESTRICTIONS…
you senator’s that only think about your selfs when you have “We the people” fighting for our rights to survive.
Word of advice You Do not need to be a Rocket Scientist to Understand this BILL HR3548 need to be pass ASAP with no RESTRICTIONS Added..
“We the people” are counting on our Senator’s to pass this Bill please ASAP.
So why is their so much inactivity. When are they going to pass some legislation on this????
Don’t badmouth republican senators, there is more than meets the eye:
1. Some of the amendments actually increase benefits or extend them to more states.
2. The benefits are being paid for with a tax on employers. This discourages new hiring! Republican Senators want to use some of the pork in the stimulus bill to fund these benefits.
3. Benefits are available to anyone still receiving benefits when the original 2008 bill was passed. Some posts say that those who have currently run out of benefits will not be covered…not true. This entire bill is being written as an amendment to the 2008 bill.
All the companies that say they are “hiring”…..really aren’t. It’s all a bunch of bulls***. Just like bailing out all these big companies who then take out all their employees on cruises and expensive vacations.
As an American citizen…..please pass this bill. I live in Texas and I’m 9mths pregnant I’ve been looking for work since Nov. 2008. I’m currently receiving no income because my funds exhausted in Sept. Please help us….we are starving out here. Employer’s won’t hire me because I’m pregnant. I’ve done over 400 applications within a yr’s time. Please help us. I may be homeless soon with a newborn baby.
For all the unemployed people, regardless of your spiritual persuasion/political ideologies, I pray that this bill is passed sooner rather than later, and we are able to rejoin the working world again. If anything, this experience has allowed me to see the true essence of people: I’ve had my brother saying I’m lazy and that it is impossible to be unemployed for four months, and I’ve also had people who have gone above and beyond to help me and my son avoid living on the streets.
Even if you are not a Christian, remember the golden rule of treating people the way you would like to be treated, be thankful for blessings no matter how small they might seem, and hope that you never have to go through these hard times.
Yes it is…. there has bin alot of us going nuts, I am not holding my breath. But it sounds good. Good luck to all of us
Give ‘em hell Harry. I shall carefully follow-up on how each elected official voted on this matter. Yes I am a registered democrat, however I am more independent in my thought process. I’ve only voted republican once, and that was for Ronald Reagan. At the rate you people are going with your narrow minded views on everything, looks like I will not be voting for a republican again in my life. I’ve never taken any type of social program in my life and have worked hard all of my adult life.
Pleasssseeeeeeeeee!!!!Pass this on tuesday…My three kids are going to starve very soon….Mom from NY……
I hope they do approve the extension on Tuesday because is going to help a lot of families and is going to help me too. I just want you to remember something when it comes for election vote for Senator Reid and Democrats since they are the only ones supporting this Bill.
Mom from NewYork dont beg these bastards for your right to recieve a check like they do. Get on line and find a food bank, church, or something other than giving them the satisfation of running your life. The one thing I found out is there is still alot of caring people in this country. Even if its not our elected official who throw big all you can eat parties while we struggle to put potatoes on the table. PISSED OFF IN OHIO!!! We the people shall stand against tyranny!!!!
Does anyone know what is meant by “the bill will not grant the benefits retroactively for people who exhaust their benefits before the bill is signed into law”?
Hi Ms. Dubya,
To answer your question, “the bill will not grant the benefits retroactively for people who exhaust their benefits before the bill is signed into law” means that if your benes were exhausted in Sept (like mine), when and if this passes, you won’t get a bunch of checks to pay you for the weeks you’ve been waiting for it. You’ll get your 14 or 20 weeks starting the day you get your first check. Kinda sucks, I could use another $3000 injection into my budget, but I will be soooo grateful for my checks if this passes.
Take care!
Thank you DagoChick! I didn’t inquire about retroactive bennies. It was someone named anonymous, but you answered their question nevertheless.
whoops! it’s kinda hard to see who started the comment and who didn’t. i think i got it now. :-)
take care and let’s keep our fingers crossed for a positive outcome on tuesday!!!
DagoChick
Ya!!!! It means that you only will get money from the time the bill is signed there will be NO BACK PAY for the weeks you have been waiting for the STUPID SENTATORS that are opposing the bill to get it passed. House passed the bill September 21,2009 and then went to Sentate and then once passed by them the president has to sign it then that is when money’s will be issued from that time forward. SO EVERYONE who has stalled their Landlords or borrowed money to see them through will not be able to get that paid back. They need to cut back some of the Salaries of our Elected officials and see if they can survive on what little bit they get . Next year is a election year for Senators I do think .
I won’t believe it till I see it. They lie…..not like dogs lay, but they lie nevertheless.
For the Love of God,man and Americans, PLEASE, PLEASE,Please pass the Bill It,s not our fault we are unemployED!!!(KEEP THE JOBS IN AMERICA,SO WE CAN HAVE JOBS TO GO AND WORK FOR) i PRAY FOR all OF us!!!! MANY PRAYERS NEEDED UNTIL THIS PASSES. HAVE "HIGH HOPES’.GOD BLESS US ALL!!!!!!!!!!
THERES ALWAYS PCH SWEEPSTAKES! IF I WIN I,LL HELP OUT ALL I CAN
Soooooo much is riding on this bill passing for me personally. Far beyond what lays on the surface. There’s no way to calculate the different ways this delay affects people. All we can do now is pray.
Vote for Senator Reid?
Why, because he is taxing the money from you, then giving you some of it back?
Folks, lets be realistic here. The government is taking your money and is slowly making you more dependent on them. Push the government to relax regulations on business and let you KEEP YOUR MONEY. We would not need extended benefits if we had jobs. The government is turning us into a country of beggars and dependents.
By including all taxes – the government is taxing away about 50% of your money. Imagine what you could do with that other 50%, or even 25%.
I hope you all get your benefits – I just hope you realize what it is actually costing you……a little bit of your freedom.
Very well said. I agree wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, the damage has already been done. The stimulus package is going to have us paying through the nose for years to come. We MUST find new ways to create more jobs, as most of the jobs that have been lost are permanently gone. Jobs lost from the construction trade alone would create armies of people. California is in a lot of trouble because of those jobs lost and many more in the technology and service industries as well. We may be looking at a much bigger problem than we even realize. All it would take for California to just collapse as a state would be a major earthquake or other major disaster. If California goes, you can be sure that other states are close behind. I believe the only thing that can save California and ultimately the nation is the legalization of marijuana. The agricultural and tourism aspects of the move are immeasurable. Nowhere else, JUST California. Generate some exclusivity, and the industry will thrive.
Pray for this extension please. I have two weeks left on the 13 week extension and it ends in 2 weeks. Raising a grandson and am 58 years old. Finding a job during this time is horrible in NC.
All the waiting, all the anxiety, all the depression, and I discover that Republicans have been bullshi***ng us by trying to push irrelevant crap through with this extension. They have no idea what it is to wonder if you can pay your rent or what it feels like to watch your car being repo’d. I know what it’s like and it sucks. My credit is shot, my dreams of buying a home are kaput. I’m tired of being looked at like some beggar or a bum. I want a job most of all, but I’ll take the benefits I worked hard for until I can find one.
This bill should be retroactive to help those of us who lost their benefits. The rent is still due every month. Those of us who lost their benefits still have to somehow make sure the bills are paid (how you ask? – good question). If this bill affected the elected officials I’m sure that they would ensure they didn’t skip a meal or their rent payment. It’s very hard to sleep at night now. Why don’t they use their heads when passing these bills so that they make sense and TRULY help out the unemployed?
This is good but… Even with this we are looking at Mid Feb and this is going to be exhausted as well and we will once again find ourselves in this same place. We Need either jobs or the ability regardless of things to go back to school to get a degree in another feild that will not get transfered over seas… This cycle of us blowning through these extensions will not be ended till both of the above are done.
We all might as well face the fact that the days of having a moderate life from not having a degree are all over and or not going to be what they where. Also gov needs to look at wages and the over all cost of living, Are we all doomed to have to work 2 to 3 jobs just to try to live, to spend more time working then with your family and or loved ones…! This is something that the current administration needs to address with the health benefits..!!
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it will get to Obama’s desk for a while even after Tuesday’s cloture vote.
“Democrats are hoping to fend off all Republican amendments on Tuesday and pass a clean bill that can be sent quickly to a House-Senate conference committee for reconciliation and then back to each chamber for one more final vote.”
How long will that take?