Unemployment extension fails to pass in U.S. House

By Luke Johnson
Thursday, November 18, 2010 at 4:02 pm

A bill to extend unemployment benefits through February 28, 2011, did not pass the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday afternoon, as the current authorization ends on November 30. The bill did get a majority of votes, 258-154, but under a suspension of the rules that is generally used to pass non-controversial bills, the bill needed a two-thirds majority.

The bill would have cost $12.5 billion; the last extension passed in July for six months after numerous procedural tactics by Republicans. Unemployment benefits may well run out again at the end of the month for approximately 4 million people, as the July extension retroactively paid benefits that had previously lapsed in early June.

There is also a possibility that the unemployment extension will be linked with an extension of all of the Bush tax cuts, but House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer reportedly said Thursday that House Democrats will vote on the tax cuts for the middle class only.

“Sadly, the new Republican majority demonstrated today how they view extending unemployment benefits: No, No No,” said Rep. Keith Ellison, who supported the extension, in a statement. “To recall Charles Dickens: the new Republican majority wants to give Scrooge a tax break and leave the unemployed Cratchit family out in the cold for Christmas.”

“These Americans played by the rules, paid into the system, and, through no fault of their own, find themselves bearing the brunt of the Republican recession,” he added. “This threatened lapse in unemployment benefits comes at a time when the USDA is reporting that nearly 17 million families in America — about 15 percent of all households — had trouble putting enough food on the table at some point last year.”

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Comments

7 Comments

Marcus
Comment posted November 18, 2010 @ 4:11 pm

Here is an Idea!! Let’s NOT extend unemployment benefits BUT let’s give TAX BREAKS for Corporate AMERICA to ship YOUR job to CHINA!! Good job Tea Bags AMERICA.. LoL.. The Chinese are LAUGHING AT US.. lol

Lazercat
Comment posted November 19, 2010 @ 9:50 am

Conservopedia:

Tax Cuts to the wealthy = spending and job creation

Tax Cuts for the middle class = Socialism.

Carl
Comment posted November 19, 2010 @ 10:04 am

@Marcus

I think you are the Chinese.

EricF
Comment posted November 19, 2010 @ 11:51 am

The sad fact is unemployment extensions no longer count as “non-controversial “. Of course, with the current Republicans, nothing is non-controversial. If Democrats are for it, they’re against it.

M
Comment posted November 19, 2010 @ 12:53 pm

And the rich get richer because We the People became pacifists in the 1960′s and 1970′s and look who took over our country – big business owned by the rich and powerful who were angered over the sucess of unions ability to get fair labor conditions, fair wages and benefits for the members of the unions who work their butts off to make the rich get richer. But the punks that decry unions are the very south ends of north bound horses that enjoy the benefits reap the rewards of those who suffered at the hands of the barons. Now that the GOP has convinced the punks that Unions are evil, they will find out in the next 20 years or so just how valued they are when their wages again dip to $1.25 an hour with no earn time for vacations and sick time is just plain a loss of wages so get your butt to work even if you are dying. Let the young women know what it was like to get called into the office and be fired because you are pregnant or be told that since you are woman you are less worthy of a decent wage or that because you are a single woman you will have to “earn” your wages by doing “favors” for your boss or risk the loss of your job and be blackballed when you go to find another job.

Marcus
Comment posted November 20, 2010 @ 6:38 pm

@ CARL.. (Dweeb) …. The weird thing about Liberalism (TODAY) is that the liberals of TODAY HATE THE COMMUNISTS MAKING SH!T THAT WE USED TO MAKE HERE.. If anyone is a Traitor it is YOU CARL.. You Douche!!