Final Try for Unemployment Benefits "Extenders" Bill Failed

The procedural vote failed 51-47 with all Republicans and at least one Democrat still voting "no". The "no's", echoing the growing concerns of the country, have stood fast to concerns over the deficit. This bill, although pared down considerably, still would have added some $33 billion to the deficit. A Republican alternative which was completely off set and which actually reduced the deficit by $68 billion was rejected by most Democrats last week.

Todays vote was only a "cloture" vote, meant to end debate on the Unemployment Benefits "Extenders" bill and bring a vote on the bill itself to the floor. This means more revisions could be made and debate could continue, followed by another attempt at cloture.

However, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) stated before the vote that he would set the bill aside and move on to other issues if it didn't pass today. He was also unwilling to separate the unemployment benefits extension from the rest of the bill, but others in the Senate have expressed interest in doing that to get unemployment benefits restored to the millions of Americans that have lost or are losing them.

Back on June 10, Republican Mitch McConnell (R-KY) also offered a Republican approved temporary 30-day extension of unemployment benefits so millions would not lose benefits while the broader bill was being debated. Senator Reid turned him down. Senator McConnell made the offer again on June 21, just three days ago, but again, Senator Reid refused. (Read: Reid Rejects Unemployment Benefits Extension Offer) I, for one, would have appreciated having those benefits until this is all worked out. It is not known if it is possible to do that now.

We will all have to continue to watch the news to see what happens next concerning unemployment benefits extensions. In the meantime, we all should continue to raise our voices to our legislators and the media until we are heard and action is taken on our behalf. Until our government frees the private sector to create jobs again, millions of Americans are going to suffer more unnecessarily. Please take a look here for a comprehensive contact list for legislators and media outlets you can contact.