Unemployment insurance blocked by Senate Republicans

[Cali_Democrat]

THIS is why 2014 is so very important:

Unemployment Insurance Fails In The Senate
Posted: 01/14/2014 4:34 pm EST | Updated: 01/14/2014 4:51 pm EST


WASHINGTON -- Legislation to bring back unemployment insurance for over a million long-term jobless Americans failed to clear the Senate on Tuesday, leaving no clear path forward.

Republicans complained Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) wouldn't let them try to amend the legislation, and Reid responded that Republicans had been whining about procedure to obscure their opposition to restoring the benefits.

"The question is: Are Republican filibustering unemployment benefits or are they not?" Reid said on the Senate floor before the vote.

"This has obviously been fixed," countered Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

Benefits lapsed for 1.3 million workers on Dec. 28, thanks to congressional inaction. Each week since the lapse, another 70,000 laid off workers reach the end of their state benefits, which in most cases last six months, and find that the federal benefits that previously helped millions of workers won't be helping them. Lawmakers knew about the looming deadline for a whole year but did nothing until it was too late.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/14/unemployment-insurance-senate_n_4597918.html

[abelenkpe]

1. Why wasn't unemployment in the budget deal?

[Cali_Democrat]

2. Dems wanted to include it, but the extension was never in the final budget compromise.

[Demo_Chris]

4. Then Democrats did not consider it all that important. nt

[Cali_Democrat]

5. Elizabeth Warren voted for the budget compromise

I think Dems in Congress like Warren thought the extension was important, but not possible.

[Demo_Chris]

3. Republicans CANNOT block passage in the Senate. nt