Republicans blocked unemployment for a couple of months and killed some stimulus benefits

[ProSense]

This is how it played out:

Senate fails to reach deal on unemployment; benefits to expire June 2

Senate Democratic leaders conceded late Thursday that an effort to extend unemployment benefits and other expiring provisions through the end of the year will fail.

A nearly $200 billion package of unemployment benefits and tax credits floundered in the House after conservative Democrats balked at the prospect of adding $130 billion to the federal deficit.

As a result, unemployment benefits for hundreds of thousands of Americans will begin to run out on June 2.

Federal subsidies for COBRA health insurance premiums will begin to run out on May 31.

<...>

NYT, June: Senate Democrats Might Change Jobs Bill

Senate Democrats are exploring whether to eliminate an extra $25 a week in unemployment benefits, part of the economic stimulus legislation passed in 2009, as a way to cut costs and attract Republican votes for a stalled package of tax breaks, tax increases on the affluent and safety-net spending.

Top officials said that change would save billions of dollars over the next six months and could lead to approval of an overall extension of jobless pay by making the legislative package easier to swallow for lawmakers worried about deficit spending.

Among other changes under consideration is blocking a cut in Medicare fees paid to doctors for just one year rather than the 19 months approved last month by the House, which was already a reduction from the three years of relief sought earlier.

<...>

If Mr. Reid is unable to come up with the 60 votes needed – and at the moment he appears short — he then would begin to consider changes in the measure, and eliminating the extra $25 a week in unemployment pay would be a possibility, aides said.

<...>

Senate votes, 60-40, to advance jobless benefits legislation

The Senate broke a months-long stalemate Tuesday over a plan to restore emergency jobless benefits to millions of people who have been out of work for more than six months, voting to advance the measure over Republican objections that it would add $34 billion to the nation's bloated budget deficit.

<...>

Democrats have dropped from the bill an extension of $25-a-week bonus payments that were added to unemployment checks under last year's stimulus package, and have little hope of extending subsidies that pay up to 65 percent of COBRA health insurance premiums. Obama's push for billions of dollars in state aid has also been scaled back, and Senate Democrats were in talks with Republicans late Tuesday about ditching Obama's proposal to increase lending to small businesses from another pending initiative.

Kicking the can down the road is http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=559158&mesg_id=559191">not a good idea


Edited title for accuracy.

[Enogero]

1. blocked?

the democrats http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-07-13/news/sfl-unemployment-byrd-seat_1_unemployment-extension-senate-democrats-west-virginia">were waiting for Byrd's replacement

and to note: after the swear in, they passed it with no trickle-down tax cut compromise

[ProSense]

2. Yes, blocked

What does Senator Byrd's death on June 28 have to do with Republicans blocking the bill?

They were still short the votes to pass the bill.

Do you think this is only about Democrats? Why were Republicans holding out, and why didn't more Republicans vote for the bill?

[Enogero]

3. "What does Senator Byrd's death on June 28 have to do..."

the democrats had the votes prior to his death and after his replacement was sworn in to pass this (http://www.mlive.com/michigan-job-search/index.ssf/2010/07/gibbs_unemployment_extension_will_pass_n.html">they knew this). during the 20+ days in between, what ever happened in the theatre, http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-07-13/news/sfl-unemployment-byrd-seat_1_unemployment-extension-senate-democrats-west-virginia">they were all waiting for the successor.

it wasn't a matter of blockage (which was for political show). it was all about Manchin

[karynnj]

4. It's pretty obvious - in that time period we lost one of the votes we had

first from Byrd, then from Goodwin.

That was the practical affect on the Senate - the reasons it was 20 + days was that Manchin wanted to insure that he could run for it in 2010.

[ProSense]

5. "the democrats had the votes prior to his death"

How do you calculate that 59 = 60?

June 24: Congress Fails to Pass an Extension of Jobless Aid

The vote was 57 to 41, with the Democrats falling three short of the 60 votes needed to advance the measure.

Again, why do you put the onus on every Democrat to pass the bill and none on Republicans?

[Enogero]

9. how did the democrats gain 3 votes in less than a month?

http://www.accountingtoday.com/news/Senate-Passes-Unemployment-Extension-55015-1.html">rhetorical question (snowe, collins).

they did their job. those two repubs were always up for grabs. once Manchin did his job, it was a done deal

[ProSense]

10. "rhetorical question (snowe, collins)."

Snowe and Collins are Democrats?

They were the ones holding out for the changes to the package.

[Enogero]

12. "Snowe and Collins are Democrats? "

no, they are republicans

http://snowe.senate.gov">Olympia Snowe
http://collins.senate.gov/">Senator Collins

this is basic information you should know. they voted for the extension, along with the replacement Manchin named (Goodwin). once the democrats got their replacement, the two hopped aboard and it was a done deal

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. We Need To Pick Up The Ball Where We Find It

The magical number in the new Congress is eight and not two...

[Enogero]

13. sure, in the new congress

and this is an issue because:

1) their failure to effectively govern http://www.thestar.com/news/world/uselection/article/885531--obama-admits-to-personal-shellacking">led to a "shellacking"
2) none of these issues were rammed through the old senate earlier

how convenient

btw: the op is referring to an extension passed in the old senate (which was passed without massive tax handouts to the upper class)

[ProSense]

14. Repeating this

"btw: the op is referring to an extension passed in the old senate (which was passed without massive tax handouts to the upper class)"

Doesn't change the fact that Republicans don't care. If they did, they wouldn't have killed $25 additional weekly and COBRA benefits.

[Enogero]

15. i would never argue you on that point

yes, they don't care. but at this point, im not sure anyone does.

[John Q. Citizen]

6. Destroying Social Security is the worst thing Obama has ever advocated. This

"payroll tax holiday" is a frontal attack on the principle and the reality that Social Security plays zero roll in the deficit. Social Security works because it is a pay as you go government sponsored retirement program for almost everyone. The money people get out of the fund is the money they put into the fund.

It was initially set up as separate from the general fund to specifically keep it out of the hands of the politicians and out of the hands of the the private market.

this attempt to subvert what FDR got instituted and which has served us well is wrong.

It's not a good idea.

[ProSense]

7. The President is advocating no such thing.

There is nothing wrong with a payroll tax that doesn't touch Social Security (the current tax cut are covered by the general fund) or is offset by increasing the payroll tax threshold. Robert Reich, in his post criticizing the deal, advocated a payroll tax holiday:

<...>

The solution is to reorganize the economy so the benefits of growth are more widely shared. Exempt the first $20,000 of income from payroll taxes, and apply payroll taxes to incomes over $250,000. Extend Medicare to all. Extend the Earned Income Tax Credit all the way up through families earning $50,000. Make higher education free to families that now can’t afford it. Rehire teachers. Repair and rebuild our infrastructure. Create a new WPA to put the unemployed back to work.

<...>

The CBC is also advocating a similar tax holiday.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. UM

WASHINGTON -- The country's foremost senior-issues advocacy organization on Friday night lent its support to a critical provision of the president's tax cut deal with Republicans.

In what could prove to be a consequential assessment of "the framework," AARP's Executive Vice President John Rother says that both he and his organization have determined that a two percentage point reduction in the payroll tax rate (from which Social Security gets its revenue) would not endanger the solvency of their community's cherished program.

Critics of the tax cut deal have raised concerns that the even though the holiday is structured to be in place for just one year, lawmakers would feel compelled to extend the policy well beyond that, in the process endangering Social Security's finances.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/10/aarp-obama-tax-cut-deal_n_795285.html

[Phx_Dem]

17. That's not true and your hyperbole is ridiculous. n/t

[Phx_Dem]

16. Kick and rec