Unemployment Extension: Dem Senator Says Standoff Could Last Weeks

A Democratic senator said Tuesday that the congressional standoff over renewing extended unemployment benefits could last several weeks in a repeat of a summer debacle that interrupted benefits for 2.5 million people.

Sen. Robert Casey (D-Pa.) said on a conference call with reporters that he hoped the Senate would approve a year-long reauthorization by "unanimous consent" on Tuesday afternoon. "I hope that our Republican friends won't object to this request and we can get this passed today," he said. "We'll see what happens. I'm just very happy that at least we have a vote today to move it forward."

It only takes one senator to block a unanimous consent request. HuffPost asked Casey what Democrats would do after unanimous consent is denied.

"Well, we'll have to think of another way to get it done. Not just this week and this month, but if it takes longer than that we'll have to stay at it," he said. "You know how long it took us [over the summer] to get unemployment insurance as part of a bigger bill on tax extenders. We had vote after vote on that, they blocked and blocked and blocked. We pulled it out, had a separate vote, they blocked and blocked."

Casey added: "We're used to having a series of votes on this before we get it done."

For nearly two months this summer, Senate Democrats struggled to get 60 votes to break a filibuster by Republicans and Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson in order to reauthorize the benefits for just five months. With the newly-seated Republican Sen. Mark Kirk (Ill.) replacing appointed Democrat Roland Burris, and moderate Republicans signaling they oppose renewing jobless aid for a full year without "paying for it" by cutting spending elsewhere in the budget, Democrats will have an even more difficult time reauthorizing the aid before Christmas.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on Sunday that unemployment benefits may be included in a package that also reauthorizes soon-to-expire tax cuts for the rich. Democrats will work on their strategy during a long caucus lunch on Tuesday.

The Labor Department estimates that two million people will be dropped from federal extended benefits programs by December if those programs, which provide up to 73 weeks of benefits beyond 26 weeks of state aid, are not reauthorized.

Comments

[Evelyn O Simon]

08:19 PM on 12/12/2010

I don't know why most Americans think, the unemployed, are folks who are just holding out their hands for the government to give them free money! The unemployed were once hard-working individuals, who lost their jobs through no fault of their own! Congress, until you give the American working class those millions of lost jobs back, you shouldn't ever cut off the extended benefits!

[Misty Lavender]

02:56 AM on 12/03/2010

I am unemployed in Memphis, TN and have been now going on two years. I took a job with the Census when it was available. This cause an interuption of my benefits. I want to work!! I voted Democrat, always have, always will. I am over 55 years old and have worked all my life. I am a homeowner and almost every penny of my Unemployment benefits went to pay my property taxes and insurance. The rest paid for utilities and food.
Does this make me a deadbeat???
I worked for 5 years in construction when the Bush administration caused the economy to fail.
I lost my job hrough no fault of my own.
I am a compassionate human being. I don't like what I hear and what I read. People are losing their sensitivity at an alarming rate. I would not want to be reborn into this society, not the way it is today. Good Luck to all of you who care. You stay in my thoughts, misty

[iburl]

10:42 PM on 12/01/2010

2 million more ruined families at Christmas time, merry christmas PIGS.

[ReElectNoOne]

06:24 PM on 12/01/2010

I saw an add on HuffPost sponsored by GE. That company along with Bank of America Exxon and others did not pay a cent in income taxes in 2009.

Arianna, is anyone at Huffpost watching who you allow ads for here?

[Keisha Conwell Ellen]

06:08 PM on 12/01/2010

I know where they can get the money to help the ppl who need this unemployment, If stop funding the war in Iraq, we can use that 2.6 billion per week to either create job and fund unemployment. I like the finer thing in life
A. A roof over my head.
B. Food on my table.
C. Health Care
D. Good Credit Again

E. A Job

[hsr0601]

02:27 PM on 12/01/2010

I favor the following idea from a web user : ""I understand that TARP monies are still not being spent on the scale promised. Perhaps as a solution, now would be a good time to free up some of those funds."
　 　

[ReElectNoOne]

06:22 PM on 12/01/2010

Most of the TARP funds have been repaid with interest. Spent and returned already. Banks screwed us all by not opening credit as was the intended purpose of bailing them out in the first place. Thank Bush and Congress 2008, for no stings loans to the wealthy and nothing for anyone else.

[Margaret B]

01:22 PM on 12/01/2010

Profit over PEOPLE

[Bloke1966]

12:00 PM on 12/01/2010

To all the wealthy politician­s that cannot come to a decision on whether
I can continue to live what I used to call a life, consisting of:
A) Paying Rent B) Utilities C) Eating
D) Paying for the daily NYC subway ride to work, and oh yes,
E) Affordable health insurance. I have come to a conclusion
I am sure you will all understand­..
”Everythin­g is the opposite of what it is not!”
Stop thinking!! United we stand, divided we fall!

[AZDave2]

07:10 AM on 12/01/2010

Once again Republicans says that we must pay for unemployment insurance extension although during the "good years" the fund paid for by employers and employees alike pumped tons of money into Government that Government robbed instead of putting it aside for times like this. Let's get this straight if Government didn't rob the money from workers there would be plenty of funds to pay for unemployment now. Republicans spent it during the go-go Bush years when they offered hugh tax cuts to the mega-rich while borrowing money for two wars and a drug plan that they didn't pay for. Now they cry foul on things that they caused themselves.
Meanwhile they want to kill Social Security and Medicare while exempting from payment the same mega-rich who will get the benefit even though they didn't pay for it.
Finally the same Republicans what to extend the not-paid for mega-rich tax cuts and stuff it to the rest of us by raising the deficit by another $700 billion with borrowed money from China and even want to extend the benefits to the mega-rich to the tune of $3 trillion borrowed money and make the unemployed, children, and the poor pay for their mega-rich life.

[moose and squirrel]

06:27 AM on 12/01/2010

how about tax cuts for the rtich with the caveat that they must hire people?  no proof of hiring, no tax cut that year!

[moose and squirrel]

06:21 AM on 12/01/2010

Take it out of corn subsidies-- we pay to overproduce corn, which find its way to every food we eat and causes the obe.sity epi.demic we are going thru right now.  end the corn subsidies so corn prices go up, and other less harmful sweeteners can be cost competitive.  what to do with the leftover land?  plant fruits and vegetables so a bell pepper doesnt cost $1.69 at the grocery store.

[moose and squirrel]

06:16 AM on 12/01/2010

take it out of congressional salaries

take it out of Defense

take it out of CorporateWelfare programs.

[LV711]

05:43 AM on 12/01/2010

Well, we have corporate media and Republican voters for this mess. Progressives want to blame President Obama instead of who should really be blamed; those that feed fodder to conservative media; those that voted Republican, again; or those progressives that criticize the president so much, they push people to vote Republican.

People don't need or shouldn't need to be pushed or excited when it comes to voting. They only need to be educated and care enough about their own future and the future of their family to make a vigorous effort to vote intelligently, not rationally.

[trussia1]

05:43 AM on 12/01/2010

There was a letter to the editor in our paper and some guy was blaming the unemployed for raining on his parade so to speak. He used the "they don't pay federal taxes" as a qualification for unemployment. His letter was a shinning example of what the GOP/Baggers have become. I noticed that he was from Noblesville IN. Nobelsville is an affluent suburb of Indianapolis and I have one quesdtion for him which is:

You're from Noblesville so you must be a rather well off business excutive. Do you realize that some people do not pay federal taxex because they don't make enough money to pay them Now Mr.Business as a true blue patriot such as yourself we will assume that you pay your emlpoyees well enough to pay federal taxes. That would be the "American" thing to do.

[jcarterla]

07:22 AM on 12/01/2010

Tell him that unemployment IS taxed and that you must report it on your federal and state taxes. Every unemployed person will get a 1099G form stating their earnings.

[GirlFriday123]

09:04 AM on 12/01/2010

It's true.

There was a time when Republicans and Democrats disagreed over whether or not government or private charities should help the distressed.

Now, it seems, the Republicans think no one should help them.

[bluecollaramerican]

05:35 AM on 12/01/2010

Why does John Boehner cry?

He hasn't seen his income drop from $281.00/week to $0.00/week.

Let him and his fellow party members take a cut like that to balance the budget if they want to show their hardcore patriotism.

[Higgs Boson]

05:35 AM on 12/01/2010

he spends more than that on booze every week

[bluecollaramerican]

05:39 AM on 12/01/2010

Or sunscreen and cigarettes.