Despite “yes” votes from 258 Congressional representatives, the House failed on Nov. 18 to garner the two-thirds majority vote needed to pass a bill that would have extended federal unemployment benefits to out-of-work Americans. As planned, the benefits will expire on
Nov. 30. The vote was the result of a stand-off between Democrats and Republicans over how the $12.5 billion measure would be funded. According to a press release from the office of U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara), two million Americans—including more than 400,000 Californians—will lose their benefits at the end of the year. In the press release, Capps said she was proud to extend benefits to her constituents, especially so close to the holiday season. “Extending unemployment insurance isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s good policy,” she said in the release. “Recipients of unemployment benefits use them immediately—to pay the rent and put food on the table—injecting demand into the economy. Also it is a shame that Republicans in the House, who are so willing to go to the mat for tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, would vote to cut off this critical assistance to struggling families. I hope that we can get this done in the coming weeks.” However, Republican representatives have accused their lame-duck peers of trying to rush the bill through the House before the change in leadership next year. As of press time, the House was scheduled to revisit the issue after Thanksgiving.
This article appears in Nov 25 – Dec 2, 2010.
