Senate Overcomes Republican Obstruction and Extends Unemployment Assistance, Health Insurance
Earlier this week, one Republican senator single-handedly blocked a number of critical priorities for those hit hardest by today’s recession. Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky jeopardized temporary unemployment assistance for hundreds of thousands, COBRA health insurance, Department of Transportation jobs, and pay for doctors who care for seniors and veterans. This was an example of partisan politics at its worst — and one of the reasons President Obama was elected to change the ways of Washington.
Despite Senator Bunning’s attempt to block the bill, on Tuesday Senate Democrats successfully overcame his obstruction and passed the temporary unemployment insurance extension, which the President signed into law later that night.
But even after the bill was passed, assistance for around 100,000 folks was delayed.
The Christian Science Monitor reports:
The passage and enactment of the legislation means that state agencies can begin sending checks to thousands of unemployed Americans who were in danger of losing their benefit if Congress did not act.
Groups involved with unemployment issues believe passage of the extension may have allowed some states enough time to cut checks for those who are already eligible to receive the extended benefits. However, almost half of the 200,000 people per week affected by the extension are filing for the first time.
“Those are the ones we are worried about not getting their checks this week,” says Andrew Stettner of the National Employment Law Project (NELP), which advocates for the unemployed. “We know there will be delays.”
As hundreds of thousands of American continue to look for work, President Obama has made job creation his top priority this year. In an op-ed, Paul Krugman explains how unemployment assistance helps individuals looking for work while at the same time fostering jobs and boosting the economy:
Take the question of helping the unemployed in the middle of a deep slump. What Democrats believe is what textbook economics says: that when the economy is deeply depressed, extending unemployment benefits not only helps those in need, it also reduces unemployment. That’s because the economy’s problem right now is lack of sufficient demand, and cash-strapped unemployed workers are likely to spend their benefits. In fact, the Congressional Budget Office says that aid to the unemployed is one of the most effective forms of economic stimulus, as measured by jobs created per dollar of outlay.
Next week, the Senate will consider a one-year extension of unemployment benefits.
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