Senate Moves Toward Extension Of Emergency Jobless Benefits
The Senate last night moved toward passage of a $1.1 billion bill to extend emergency unemployment benefits to an estimated 1 million people after overcoming a Republican challenge to the method of financing the benefits.</br></br>The Senate voted 61 to 39 to waive budget rules to allow short- term deficit financing of the emergency legislation, over objection of Sen. Don Nickles (R-Okla.) and other Republicans. A final vote is planned today.</br></br>The Democrats suffered a temporary setback Tuesday when, with several Democrats absent from the Capitol, the Republicans thwarted a previous Democratic effort to waive the rule. A similar dispute over funding delayed action in the House for weeks, beyond the Oct. 2 expiration of the program.</br></br>The House-passed bill would provide seven or 13 weeks of additional compensation to unemployed workers who have exhausted their 26 weeks of basic benefits, depending upon the severity of the unemployment rate in their states.</br></br>Instead of appropriating the necessary funds or declaring a spending emergency, the bill would offset the cost of the additional benefits with savings that are projected to occur over the next five years because of mandated changes in state jobless aid programs that would help reduce unemployment rolls.