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UPDATE 2-U.S. Senate votes to restore lapsed jobless aid
Thu Apr 15, 2010 6:47pm EDT
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<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT>* Jobless aid expiration affected 200,000 people
Regulatory News | Bonds | Global Markets
* Three Republicans vote with Democrats in favor
* Benefits extension would apply retroactively
(Adds detail, background, byline)
By Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to restore jobless benefits for hundreds of thousands of Americans who had lost them during a partisan standoff over spending.
The 59 to 38 vote would restore lapsed jobless aid and healthcare subsidies for those thrown out of work by the worst recession in 70 years. The House of Representatives is expected to quickly approve the measure for President Barack Obama to sign into law.
With the unemployment rate at 9.7 percent, some 6.1 million Americans rely on jobless benefits to help them pay the bills as they look for work.
Those benefits, which average roughly $300 per week, expired for more than 200,000 Americans on April 5 after Republican Senator Tom Coburn blocked a vote shortly before Congress left town on a two-week break.
The standoff also has disrupted a federal flood-insurance program, which has held up 1,400 home sales each day in flood-prone areas and slashed emergency loans to small businesses, Democrats said.
COBRA health-insurance subsidies for the unemployed and payments to doctors under the Medicare health program have also been disrupted.
REPUBLICAN OBJECTIONS
Coburn and other Republicans argued that Congress should find a way to pay for the program rather than letting it add to a budget deficit that could hit a record $1.5 trillion this fiscal year.
The Senate voted down Coburn's proposal to redirect $20 billion from other government programs.
Democrats said jobless aid has always been considered emergency spending during times of high unemployment.
Three Republicans voted with the Democrats on the final vote.
Jobless benefits normally expire after six months but Congress has extended the program several times during a slump marked by record levels of long-term joblessness.
The bill passed by the Senate would extend benefits through June 2 and apply retroactively to those who were cut off last week. It would cost $18.2 billion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Democrats have been extending the program on a month-to-month basis as they work on a longer-term fix.
That has given Senate Republicans plenty of opportunity for disruption.
Republican objections forced the Senate to spend most of the week on a measure that had cleared the House of Representatives in a matter of seconds. Democrats can expect to face similar delays on other spending measures that are not offset with spending cuts elsewhere, Coburn said.
The debate over spending is likely to resurface on a regular basis as the November congressional elections approach.
Republicans have pointed to record deficits and last year's $863 billion economic-stimulus package to paint Democrats as reckless spenders unconcerned with the country's mounting debt.
Democrats say the country's dire fiscal situation can be traced in large part to tax cuts, wars and an expansion of Medicare that were enacted when Republicans were in control. (Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
UPDATE 2-U.S. Senate votes to restore lapsed jobless aid
Thu Apr 15, 2010 6:47pm EDT
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- Senate votes to restore lapsed jobless aid 6:22pm EDT
- U.S. Senate votes to restore lapsed jobless aid 6:12pm EDT
- Bill to restore jobless aid clears Senate hurdle Wed, Apr 14 2010
- Bill to restore jobless aid clears Senate hurdle Wed, Apr 14 2010
- Bill to restore jobless aid clears Senate hurdle Wed, Apr 14 2010
<SCRIPT language=javascript>addImpression("12391142_Related Interactive");</SCRIPT>
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> </SCRIPT>* Jobless aid expiration affected 200,000 people
Regulatory News | Bonds | Global Markets
* Three Republicans vote with Democrats in favor
* Benefits extension would apply retroactively
(Adds detail, background, byline)
By Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted to restore jobless benefits for hundreds of thousands of Americans who had lost them during a partisan standoff over spending.
The 59 to 38 vote would restore lapsed jobless aid and healthcare subsidies for those thrown out of work by the worst recession in 70 years. The House of Representatives is expected to quickly approve the measure for President Barack Obama to sign into law.
With the unemployment rate at 9.7 percent, some 6.1 million Americans rely on jobless benefits to help them pay the bills as they look for work.
Those benefits, which average roughly $300 per week, expired for more than 200,000 Americans on April 5 after Republican Senator Tom Coburn blocked a vote shortly before Congress left town on a two-week break.
The standoff also has disrupted a federal flood-insurance program, which has held up 1,400 home sales each day in flood-prone areas and slashed emergency loans to small businesses, Democrats said.
COBRA health-insurance subsidies for the unemployed and payments to doctors under the Medicare health program have also been disrupted.
REPUBLICAN OBJECTIONS
Coburn and other Republicans argued that Congress should find a way to pay for the program rather than letting it add to a budget deficit that could hit a record $1.5 trillion this fiscal year.
The Senate voted down Coburn's proposal to redirect $20 billion from other government programs.
Democrats said jobless aid has always been considered emergency spending during times of high unemployment.
Three Republicans voted with the Democrats on the final vote.
Jobless benefits normally expire after six months but Congress has extended the program several times during a slump marked by record levels of long-term joblessness.
The bill passed by the Senate would extend benefits through June 2 and apply retroactively to those who were cut off last week. It would cost $18.2 billion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Democrats have been extending the program on a month-to-month basis as they work on a longer-term fix.
That has given Senate Republicans plenty of opportunity for disruption.
Republican objections forced the Senate to spend most of the week on a measure that had cleared the House of Representatives in a matter of seconds. Democrats can expect to face similar delays on other spending measures that are not offset with spending cuts elsewhere, Coburn said.
The debate over spending is likely to resurface on a regular basis as the November congressional elections approach.
Republicans have pointed to record deficits and last year's $863 billion economic-stimulus package to paint Democrats as reckless spenders unconcerned with the country's mounting debt.
Democrats say the country's dire fiscal situation can be traced in large part to tax cuts, wars and an expansion of Medicare that were enacted when Republicans were in control. (Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
