New York (CNNMoney.com) - Democratic Senators Monday unveiled a $150 billion bill that pushes back the deadline to file for unemployment insurance until year-end and extends dozens of expiring corporate and personal tax credits.
The wide-ranging legislation, which could be voted on as soon as this week, would allow the jobless to apply for extended federal unemployment benefits and the COBRA health insurance subsidy through Dec. 31. It would also make the prevision retroactive to March 1, so the unemployed would not miss any payments.
Federal unemployment benefits kick in after the basic state-funded 26 weeks of coverage expire. These federal benefits, worth up to 73 weeks, are divided into tiers, and the jobless must apply each time they move into a new tier.
But last week the Senate failed to pass a 30-day extension of the filing deadline, which expired on Feb. 28, because one Republican Senator objected. As a result, more than a million people are set to lose their federal unemployment benefits this month.
Full story from CNNMoney.com
From CNN Politics
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Now legislators, this is BEYOND idiotic. These are foreseeable events that must be dealt with, REGARDLESS political parties and grandstanding. This is an utter outrage that demonstrates the TRUE nature of today's Congressional representation. Personal grandstanding for the benefit of NO ONE BUT THEMSELVES and particularly Bunning and Kyl. They should be run out of the Senate on a rail. . . . and let us hope they are.
Jim Bunning is the gop spear carrier because he isn't running for reelection.
This is the gop at heir very worst. Against the American people again
Eat the rich
We need to stop waging wars on behalf of Israel; if they want to go to war with Iran, then they can do it themselves, if they want to go to war with Iraq, then they can do it themselves. Why shed our innocent blood in the first place? What has it gotten us? Trilllions of Dollars in debt, and not much else.
Bunning is certifiably crazy; what excuse do the rest of the gop senators have??
Republicans JUST LAST WEEK complained about the cuts to Medicare, Now doctors are going to have to make the tough decision to drop Medicare recipients THIS WEEK because a Republican Jim Bunning refuses to extend benefits to the end of the year. Yup! you can thank Republicans for pull'n the plug on granny.
The problem with this extension of unemployment benefits bill is that includes so much more that is not related to unemployment.
We understand that we to wage an agressive fight against the employment problem. But Congress needs to understand that they must stop throwing our money around like there is no tomorrow. If they don't there will be no tomorrow.
What a bunch of "progressive liberal demoncrat losers" you all are. Take a frigging look at the demoncrat-controlled cities of Chicago and Detroit...what an abyss of corruption/gangs/ they have become. IT AIN'T BEEN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY THAT TOOK THESE CITIES DOWN THE ROAD OF FILTH!
Look at the state of Californication...totally disfunctional with a progressive republicrat at the current helm. A "Broke" and Broken" state. Hello pelosi, waxman and waters!
The demoncrats have been able to keep the poor poor....why raise them up...you would lose your vooting base. Think about it.
Let's see, 73 weeks Fed benefits PLUS 26 state benefits, you're talking 99 WEEKS benefits???? And counting – when these end, they will just be extended again! No wonder why unemployment is so high – WHY WORK???!
the people of Kentucky need to fire Bunning and feather his ass and send hin down the road with out any wages or retirement .. kick his ass to the street . and the elevator and finger issue is ass wiping dipstick childish his elevator my ass its the peoples elevator . Bunning must go !
If it were not for the Party of Idiots it would already be done but the party of NO just can't pull thier heads out of thier behinds long enough to have a chance of thinking logically but then thinking has never been the Repuglibans strong suit has it?
We CAN NOT EXTEND the benefits FOREVER.
This is totally out of control...
MAYBE the Democrats could try to CREATE some jobs rather then just
keep EXTENDING entitlements FOREVER....
Guess if it had been a bail out for the bank executives the Repuglibans would have voted yes in Nazi style lockstep!
I am ready for a one party system, NO REPUGLIBANS, how about you?
SOCIAL SECURITY.. MEDICARE...MEDICADE....
ALL of the entitlements are just a BIG PONZI SCHEME...
We take in money and money goes out... BUT NEVER ENOUGH..
THIS IS ALL A SCAM.. THE NUMBERS DONT ADD UP.
ENTITLEMENTS ARE CURRENTLY 65 TRILLION IN THE HOLE.
In this country you have two choices, "The frying pan or the fire." Bad as all those fat cat Democrats are – they're a hunnert percent more for the working guy than their opposition.
Economists are now saying that the RR "trickle down" was based on faulty reasoning and bankrupt economic policies. Time to put neoconservatism to death like the dinosaurs. It's only ever been a rationalization for greed!
All those unemployed workers who the GOP wont help will most certainly not be voting for them ever again.
Is there a Democrat, any Democrat at all who can stand up to one cranky old man? Can we not call the Senate to order, bring up the health bill, and call for a vote. If this cranky old misanthrope has been talked into this by his Conservative colleagues (because he is not standing for reelection), can we not at least make the guy stand up and talk for a few hundred hours to see if we can't wear him down. I mean, the Senate is not doing anything important at the moment or at any time in the forseeable future. Can't they call the Republican's bluff? Do we have to witness Democratic handwringing in response to any syllable uttered by any Republican?
Sometimes I think that if there were 99 Democrats and one Republican in the Senate, the Democrats would not be able to pass a single bill.
Who does this jerk Bunning think he is? I think they should make a monument to this loser in the shape of roadblock.
I wonder how Senator Bunning would feel if we cut off his health care and salery? I know it needs to be paid for but the light company doesn't wait. The kids are as hungry in the morning when you wake up with no job as they are when you had work.
I remember him as a great pitcher but he's not much more than that to those he would deny food and essentials.
the Republican is again an obstacle of the Bill.
25% real unemployment, the temp job is the new full time job, and companies are using this recession to produce more volume with far less people. Congress needs to drop this health bill and do everything it can to spur job growth. Tax breaks for every new hire are a start. I work for the website Storyburn and the mess that lands on our doorstep is crazy bad. We have the most read home foreclosure story on the web and plenty of job hunting stories
But Republicans want these people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, knock on church doors, and go to soup kitchens. And if they get sick, well, too bad. As was seen today, Republicans are giving the finger to unemployed Americans. Do they think they will be dead and not vote in November? Believe me, they are going to remember which party cares about them, and which one stands behind the podium and lectures from hand notes.
I'll bet we could find 59 very capable Democratic Senators in India. We need to outsource our government to more capable people. The Indians are producing some very impressive graduate students. We could hire them to replace the current Gang That Can't Shoot Straight – or Democratic Party as it is also known. Within a few months they'd have legislation streaming out of the Senate. And, we wouldn't have to pay for their insurance or retirement. Just pay them by the hour. We'd get a lot more bang for our buck, that's for sure.
....so pay for it. There's literally hundreds of billions available in that slush fund they like to call the Stimulus.
More spending? Give it a rest Barry!