Jobless aid bill hits snag over price tag --- repug senators hold unemployed hostage

[spanone]

bipartisan MY ASS.


Republicans who helped keep a bill to restore long-term jobless aid alive earlier this week say they won't stay on Democrats' side unless the legislation's backers find a way to pay for the $6.4 billion program.

Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., were two of the six Republicans who gave Democrats enough votes to begin debate on the extension. But at a news conference Wednesday, both said they won't vote to advance the bill any further unless the extension's cost is offset.

The unemployment insurance legislation faces one more 60-vote hurdle before it could pass. That means that, without backing from Portman and Ayotte, it's all but doomed.

Ayotte is proposing a way to pay for the program - and fulfill some other GOP wishlist items -- by closing a tax loophole she says helps undocumented immigrants commit fraud, but that plan hasn't gained traction with Democrats.

http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/08/22231135-jobless-aid-bill-hits-snag-over-price-tag?lite

[1StrongBlackMan]

1. Well ...

Ayotte has the right idea. While I don't know which tax loop hole she is referring to that helps undocumented immigrants commit fraud, I know that it, if it exists, would pale in comparison to closing the "carried forward" loop hole.

[spanone]

2. how about we offset it by NOT subsidizing major oil companies?

[1StrongBlackMan]

3. Or build 2 fewer ...

F35s ... that the Pentagon does even want.

[Igel]

6. But might not in terms of amount of $.

Here's the claim. Google to your heart's content and figure out if it's a biased claim. Too much dreck to wade though, and what I waded through I did only because I thought, "Odd that nobody's saying what the claim is."

The claim is simple. If you are a tax filer you can file and get a refundable income tax credit for each of your dependent kids. We have 1 kid, Mrs. Igel and I, and do this annually.

However, while a number of entitlements (and I view this as an entitlement, since it's funded by Congress and only available to me because the law says I'm entitled to it) are available only to those possessing SSNs, this one is available to all tax filers.

Many tax filers use an individual taxpayer ID number, or "ITIN" (to use the jargon). While a legitimate form of taxpayer ID number, the claim is--echoed, it would seem, by IRS staffers, that many illegal immigrants use them. And are able to claim their kids, legally US citizens or not, as dependents. Thus obtaining refundable tax credits even if they're poor and pay no income tax (after refunds or otherwise). This totals to a small number of billions of dollars. Not $10 billion. But more, they claim, than $3. So it's roughly ballpark to the unemployment benefits funding number, even if one is for 3 months and the other for the year.

Red meat for conservatives. Masquerading as kamut and organically grown quinoa.

It strikes me as mildly specious that the claim is that the "children can be living in Mexico!" but from personal experience you have to show that your kids have a SSN. My only hesitation on using this as counterevidence is that I don't know if kids can get ITINs or not, that is, if there's a way for a non-citizen minor to qualify.

The EITC is also in the mix, but it gets added after all the evidence is adduced. Sort of on a "free ride program" of its own.

[badtoworse]

7. What is the "carried forward loophole"?

[LiberalEsto]

4. They've conveniently forgotten the cost of their shutdown, over $24 billion.

That would have paid for at least 3 extensions of long term unemployment benefits.

[spanone]

8. bingo!

funny that they get a pass on that, eh?

[rustydog]

5. These very bastards have no problem borrowing 800 million a week from China

to continue the 10+ year war on terra....
Bastards

[JaneyVee]

9. Spending cuts? Start with $900Billion in bloated defense budgets that could go.