Jim McDermott Says 'Republican Grinches' In The Senate May Ruin Christmas For The Jobless

Unemployment insurance for the long-term jobless faces an uncertain path through Congress, which will have just two weeks when it reconvenes on Nov. 15 to reauthorize the benefits before they expire at the end of the month.

If Congress fails to renew the aid, more than a million people who've been out of work for longer than six months will by cut off during the holidays, according to the National Employment Law Project.

"The House can probably do its part, but the Senate has too many Republican Grinches," said Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), in a statement to HuffPost.

Over the summer, Senate Republicans, with an assist from Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson, blocked a reauthorization for nearly two months after it passed the House, causing 2.5 million people to miss checks. Their objection was the $33 billion deficit impact of the bill.

Judy Conti, a lobbyist for the National Employment Law Project, reminded HuffPost that after the grumpy Grinch came down from Mount Crumpit and stole Christmas, he changed his attitude and gave it back.

"Remember that by the end of the story, the Grinch succumbed to the holiday spirit and grew a great big heart," Conti said.

Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) thinks the Senate GOP's heart will remain two sizes too small.

"Not this Republican Tea Party-loving crowd," he said. "Tax cuts for the wealthy -- and lumps of coal in the stockings for the rest of the country."

Democrats will need at least two Republicans -- possibly more -- to defect from a hard-line anti-deficit spending stance in order to break a filibuster.

A Republican Senate leadership aide told HuffPost that without knowing specifics of the bill, such as how much it will cost and how long it will last, there was no way to predict how it will be received in the upper chamber.

Comments

[cirrus7]

08:43 PM on 11/17/2010

Obama and Reid need to llsten to Democrats, not those saying he needed to compromise MORE in 2010. A good start: No Senate break until unemployment insurance extension passes. I mean No Thanksgiving break and no Christmas break. That might get the Republicants attention as to who is in charge.

I mean No Thanksgiving break and no Christmas break. That might get the Republicants attention as to who is in charge.

I mean No Thanksgiving break and no Christmas break. That might get the Republicants attention as to who is in charge.

[Iamobserver]

10:55 PM on 11/03/2010

Scraping the bottom of the barrel for something to talk about?

[tier5 unemployment]

11:10 AM on 10/26/2010

I know this article hints at it, but it doesn't say it outright. And that is, THERE IS HOPE!!

If the Republicans do win in a landslide on the Nov. 2nd election and takeover the House and Senate, the changes don't take effect until January 3rd. Meaning the newly elected Republicans don't takeover until that date. Which means on November 15th when Congress returns, the Democrats will still have a majority until January 3rd no matter what. Meaning they can still quickly vote to renew the TIER 2-4 that expires at the end of November and add a TIER 5 to it in the process. There is hope!! Democrats, even if they lose on Nov. 2nd, aren't officially out until January 3rd!!

[TeaLady005]

08:59 AM on 10/24/2010

....This just has to be a joke? Obama is taking a "working" vacation to India on November 6th.

The Obama's have booked all 570 rooms at a 5 star luxury resort plus another 180 rooms at two other nearby hotels.
Obama is taking THREE jumbo jets for his entourage! Air Force One plus 2 other 747's!
Obama is taking 45 cars including his Lincoln security car.
Obama is taking all his inner staff plus his personal chefs!

People are hurting in this country financially and we are $14 trillion into debt, yet we constantly see the Obama's flying around the world and staying in only the finest hotels....all at taxpayer's expense of course.

http://eco­nomictimes­.indiatime­s.com/news­/politics/­nation/Bar­ack-and-Mi­chelles-Mu­mbai-darsh­an-plans/a­rticleshow­/6797379.c­ms

[OldBro70]

09:44 AM on 10/24/2010

The President of the United States is traveling in his role as leader of the free world.

[thereisonlyoneparty]

07:29 PM on 10/24/2010

Good ol' America.

"Leader of the free world."

No one wants to follow America.

Deamericazation of the world cannot come soon enough.

[Brian Gilmer]

07:53 AM on 10/25/2010

Would you rather they travel coach on a commercial carrier with 2 burly marines for security?
The reality is that the US President MUST travel abroad. An amount of government apparatus must travel with him by law.

[rgilley]

08:34 AM on 10/24/2010

In the ideology of corporatist Republicans these people who are collecting unemployment are just lazy freeloaders who don't want a job anyway. What Republican corporatist want is to hold the economy in check of any growth until people are willing to go to work for about half what they earned in their middle class jobs before Republicans transfered 80% of america's wealth to less than 5% of the richest people, and then robbed the treasury and handed the government to the Democrats so they could twist the truth around and blame the victims of this mess.

Throw these bums out in 2010 or agree to return to your former working life for less than half what you earned before, and say good bye to your middle class lifedstyle for ever.

[spinotter11]

08:04 AM on 10/24/2010

This emphasis on "the holidays" is ridiculous. What does it matter when one becomes unemployed, or when one reaches the end of unemployment benefits? "The holidays" are an ingenious invention of the capitalist rulers of the USA to force people into buying things that they can ill afford.

[thereisonlyoneparty]

07:31 PM on 10/24/2010

Holidays existed before America, you dummy.

Only an American could be so ignorant to think otherwise.

[Shadow Weaver]

07:17 AM on 10/24/2010

were they just informed as to when it was set to expire? Amazing that it was never disclosed before now...

[lindaj3884]

04:19 AM on 10/24/2010

We wouldn't be in this mess if the Senate had the guts to end the fillibuster.

[Brian Gilmer]

07:54 AM on 10/25/2010

Our mess would be far worst.

[Scottt01]

02:03 AM on 10/24/2010

You mean no free hams and yams for the holiday??? Hey join the Army, plenty of food there. Oh that right, that wouldn't be a free ride.

[no job no money no hope]

02:07 AM on 10/24/2010

most people are too old to join the army. last time i checked, they don't take anyone over 50

[no job no money no hope]

12:29 AM on 10/24/2010

don't worry folks, everything should be back to normal by 2020. um, unless the dollar collapses, which there is a good chance. rich are not worried, they have most of their money in hard assests aready. they will end up even richer at the end by the time the fallout occurs

[spinotter11]

08:05 AM on 10/24/2010

You sound as if you're enjoying the situation. Perhaps it will persist until 2030.

[no job no money no hope]

01:01 PM on 10/24/2010

actually no i'm not enjoying this. i already lost everything i own, 28 years of work for nothing. dubya caused all this

[thereisonlyoneparty]

07:33 PM on 10/24/2010

Hopefully it does.

The fall of America is the single greatest event to happen in history. The rest of us shall watch the nation die and not shed a tear.

[rgilley]

08:41 AM on 10/24/2010

THIS is what republicans left us with in 08 if you want a repeat vote these corporatist bastards back in power.

The Lost Decade
Census Data Out lines
Bush Era Set backs in
Poverty, Income, and
Health Coverage

• Income and Jobs: Inflation-adjusted incomes fell further under George W. Bush than
under any president since reporting began. Unemployment rose 81 percent.

• Poverty: The poverty rate jumped 17 percent from 2000 to 2008, with over 8 million
more Americans living below the poverty line.

• Health Coverage: The number of uninsured Americans increased over 20 percent
to an all-time high of 46.3 million, including a dramatic 157 percent increase in the
population of uninsured Americans over the age of 65.

http://www.dlc.org/documents/TheLostDecade.pdf

How can Republican Corporatist claim that we are not living in the economy that they left us just 18 months ago under Bush?
These are census beauru statisics taken by republicans and democrats alike!
And now they want back in power to finish off the middle class for their corporatist masters??
Throw these obstructionist bums out of DC so we can get out of this worst recession in history they left us with!!

[hatrickpenry]

12:07 AM on 10/24/2010

Gosh,.. perhaps there wouldn't have been any need for unfunded Federal extensions of unemployment if the porkulus package had addressed our infrastructure with 95% of the funds instead of 9% on not-so-shovel-ready useless projects.
Turtle tunnels, fences around dry lakes, runways, and unnecessary bridges.
I'm not so sure it was that important for certain members of Congress to have a bit smoother landing neat time. Or residents in Florida who have a new bridge along-side a perfectly functional one because it was becoming inconvenient to wait through two signals at rush hour.
The main infrastructure items that are failing, soon to completely fall apart, haven't been addressed.
The Delaware aqueduct -- the power grid -- condemned bridges in populated cities, projects all over the U.S. that could have produced millions of long-term jobs while getting maximum bang for the buck,... $1TRILLION of them,... up in smoke. Why did he put America on unemployment instead?

[Father Tom]

11:30 PM on 10/23/2010

When I was very young, my mother would take a part-time job in the 5&10 about a month before each Christmas, so we 3 kids could have some gifts at Christmas time. I'll bet she earned equivalently less than today's unemployment check. There's a moral here, but I'm not sure what it is and I'll let other posters decide.

[hatrickpenry]

12:10 AM on 10/24/2010

Loud & clear. Pride & personal responsibility.

[Redemption Song II]

01:16 AM on 10/24/2010

Currently, people are applying for literally hundreds of jobs--too many of which don't pay a living wage--and are not getting interviews, much less offers. (There's a response here, but I'm not sure what it is and I'll let other posters decide.)

[lindaj3884]

04:21 AM on 10/24/2010

The problem is that there is 1 job in America now for every 5 applicants. It is untenable in the long run and the GOP thinks outsourcing jobs to China and India is great -- for the bottom line of big business.

[no job no money no hope]

08:00 PM on 10/23/2010

twas the night before Christmas -not a dollar to be found-not even a quarter could be found-even inside the couch

[no job no money no hope]

07:38 PM on 10/23/2010

it's going to be a classic scene if repubs gain control of the congress. half the population trying to keep their hands warm in the winter, from a fire out of a 50 gallon oil barrel

[fromdnorth]

06:48 PM on 10/23/2010

Why not ruin it for the jobless. The Rebublicans ruined it for everyone else...