Extension of Jobless Benefits

Posted on February 26, 2010 by townsend

• Unemployment benefits for 1.2 million Americans could expire Sunday, By John Schmid, February 26, 2010, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “Nearly 1.2 million unemployed Americans – including 27,000 in Wisconsin – face an imminent cutoff of government unemployment checks if Congress cannot pass emergency legislation to extend federal benefits before funding expires Sunday. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) pushed this week for Senate passage of a stopgap 30-day extension of jobless benefits, which also includes a 30-day extension of a federal COBRA health insurance subsidy for the jobless. But as of late Thursday, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) objected to each attempt to bring the issue to a Senate floor vote, balking that the measure would further inflate the nation’s debt. The House passed a 30-day extension Thursday. Reid’s 11th-hour actions, however, cut excruciatingly close to the deadline. According to the National Employment Law Project, a research and advocacy group, the ranks of unemployed losing eligibility for unemployment compensation will rise sharply and continuously if Congress decides against an extension. By June, 127,100 Wisconsin residents will see their unemployment insurance phased out if Congress doesn’t act. Nationally, the number swells to 5 million by June, the group calculates…”
• Senate inaction jeopardizes unemployment benefits, Associated Press, February 26, 2010, New York Times: “The Senate failed Friday to extend programs for laid-off workers, jeopardizing unemployment benefits scheduled to expire over the weekend. The benefits are part of a larger package of government programs, from highway funding to loans for small businesses, set to expire Sunday because senators couldn’t agree on how to pay to keep them going. The House passed a bill Thursday extending the programs for one month while lawmakers consider how to address the issues long-term. Senate Democrats repeatedly tried to follow suit Thursday night and Friday morning, but they couldn’t overcome the objections of a single lawmaker, Republican Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky, that the $10 billion bill would add to the budget deficit. The bill would extend unemployment payments to laid-off workers and provide them with subsidies to help pay health premiums through the COBRA program. It would extend funding for highway projects and spare doctors from a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments. It would extend a small business loan program, the National Flood Insurance Program and the copyright license used by satellite television providers…”