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Lauren Victoria Burke/AP
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
House Approves Unemployment Extension; White House Threatens Veto
The House on Thursday voted to extend federal unemployment benefits by three months, but the bill is unlikely to become law.
30-Second Summary
Democrats pushed the bill through on a 274-137 vote, although the bill is not expected to pass in the Senate.
The White House has already threatened to veto the bill, which would extend federal unemployment pay for jobless Americans from the current 26 weeks to 39 weeks, if it gets through the Senate.
But Republicans believe the bill shows that Democrats are trying to get an election-year advantage by making them choose between an extension of unemployment benefits and President Bush’s position, the Associated Press reports.
“It’s an unfortunate spectacle to see the leaders of this Congress manipulate the extension of unemployment benefits into a partisan weapon,” said Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash.
Other Republicans disagreed. “I understand some of the concerns about granting this extension of benefits, but I believe strongly that those concerns are far outweighed by the needs of struggling American families,” said Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., who was one of 49 Republicans to vote with Democrats in support of the bill.
Party politics aside, unemployment numbers are undoubtedly going up. The jobless rate jumped to 5.5 percent in May, up from 5 percent in April—the largest one-month swing since 1986. The Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits last week increased by 25,000 from the week before.
“The American people are waiting to see if Congress is going to help them,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said. The bill’s next step will be a Senate vote.
The White House has already threatened to veto the bill, which would extend federal unemployment pay for jobless Americans from the current 26 weeks to 39 weeks, if it gets through the Senate.
But Republicans believe the bill shows that Democrats are trying to get an election-year advantage by making them choose between an extension of unemployment benefits and President Bush’s position, the Associated Press reports.
“It’s an unfortunate spectacle to see the leaders of this Congress manipulate the extension of unemployment benefits into a partisan weapon,” said Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash.
Other Republicans disagreed. “I understand some of the concerns about granting this extension of benefits, but I believe strongly that those concerns are far outweighed by the needs of struggling American families,” said Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., who was one of 49 Republicans to vote with Democrats in support of the bill.
Party politics aside, unemployment numbers are undoubtedly going up. The jobless rate jumped to 5.5 percent in May, up from 5 percent in April—the largest one-month swing since 1986. The Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits last week increased by 25,000 from the week before.
“The American people are waiting to see if Congress is going to help them,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said. The bill’s next step will be a Senate vote.
Headline Link: ‘House OKs Extension of Unemployment Benefits’
The White House has issued a statement saying it is “fiscally irresponsible” to extend extra benefits to all 50 states, including those with low unemployment rates.
Source: The Houston Chronicle (Associated Press)
Background: Unemployment growing fast
The unemployment rate jumped to 5.5. percent in May. The Labor Department stated that employers cut 49,000 more jobs that month, and that the unemployment level rose among almost all groups: men, women, teenagers, whites and blacks. The number for Hispanics was unchanged, and it dropped slightly among Asians.
Source: findingDulcinea
More than 28 million Americans are applying for food stamps this year, the highest number since the program’s inception in the 1960s.
Source: findingDulcinea
Reactions: The SEIU, Republicans, Democrats
House Republican Whip Roy Blunt, Mo., released a statement about the bill. He wrote that the Democrats would get much more support if it was written in a way that is not a “one-size-fits all approach” and incorporated suggestions from Republicans. “Instead, the Democrats chose to extend benefits regardless of whether a state has a real unemployment problem or not, even states where unemployment is well below the national average will qualify for this expansion,” he wrote.
Source: CNBC (House Republican Whip Roy Blunt)
Pelosi issued a statement from the Office of the Speaker of the House, criticizing Republicans who stand to block the measure: “Democrats first pushed for an extension of unemployment benefits in January, as we were negotiating the stimulus package. By blocking an extension of unemployment benefits since January, the President and Congressional Republicans have forced 1.2 million workers, who have exhausted benefits since January, to manage without any unemployment assistance in the face of rising prices.”
Source: The Sun Herald (Office of the Speaker of the House)
Anna Burger, secretary-treasurer of the Service Employer International Union, wrote in support of the bill on The Congress Blog: “It is time for Congress to take a stand and extend benefits for the millions of Americans who want to work but can’t find a job during this economic recession through no fault of their own. … If too few Senators will stand up to their corporate fat-cat donors and help their constituents, then we will support adding unemployment benefit legislation to Iraq supplemental spending bills.”
Source: The Congress Blog
Reference: U.S. Department of Labor, guide to career transitions
The U.S. Department of Labor provides multiple resources for unemployed workers as well as job seekers on its Web site.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor
FindingDulcinea’s Web Guide to Career Transitions provides resources for those facing unemployment, including information about health insurance options, unemployment insurance and where to look for a new job.
Source: findingDulcinea
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