Unemployment Benefits Extension: Democrats Reject Another Republican Attempt to Provide Benefits to the Unemployed

Thursday afternoon saw the failure of the third and final cloture vote on the Unemployment Benefits "Extenders" bill. The bill went down on a bipartisan 57-41 vote. All Republicans and several moderate Democrats voted against the bill, steadfastly objecting to adding any more to the already astronomical deficit.

But while the two sides have been bickering over the broader bill, hundreds of thousands of unemployed Americans have lost their unemployment benefits, waiting on their next tier benefits filing deadlines to be extended. By the end of this week, 1.25 million Americans will have seen their last unemployment benefits check, many, like myself, without warning as they were dropped mid-tier.

So millions are now asking, what's next? Can't something be done? Can't they separate unemployment benefits from the broader bill? Won't someone help us?

What is not being reported by the main stream media is that - someone tried.

According to an article in "The Hill", immediately following the failed vote on the Unemployment Benefits Extension bill: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) offered a one-month extension of unemployment Insurance benefits, the COBRA subsidy, flood insurance program, small business lending program and 2009 poverty guidelines paid for with stimulus money used in the Democrats bill to offset costs."

But the Democrats voted it down.

What has also not been widely reported is that the Republicans have offered this several other times during the process -

- On June 10, Senate Minority Leader McConnell offered a 30-day unemployment benefits extension while the Senate debated the overall bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) turned it down.

- On June 21, just four days ago, Senator McConnell and the Republicans offered it again, trying to get us unemployment benefits a second time, but, again, Reid and the Democrats refused. (Read: "Harry Reid Rejects Yet Another UI Offer")

- Even after the vote failed on the broader bill on June 24, the Republicans were still trying to get us unemployment benefits and continued Cobra assistance so we would not starve and wind up on the street while they try to work out the longer term solution. But again, it was the Democrats, preferring to allow us to lose our unemployment benefits so they can point the finger at the Republicans and demonize them for not caring about the people.

As you can see, had it not been for the Democrats, we would never have needed to miss a check.

But did you hear this in the main-stream media? Or did you just hear that the Republicans are the ones that don't care about you and me and what will happen to us without these benefits?

If you're only listening to mainstream media, you may have also missed that the Republicans presented an amendment to HR-4213, the bill containing the Unemployment Benefits "Extenders" provision, that would have taken care of all of our benefits, including the $25 per week that the Democrats removed, and would have done so without increasing the deficit, but rather reducing the deficit by over $60 billion. This amendment had the support of all of the Republicans as well as the Democrats and Independents that were against the Democrats deficit increasing bill. (Read: ''Democrats Block Benefits Extension")

But, of course, the Democrats voted it down.

So are the Democrats really trying to help us or are they trying to use our suffering to score political points against the Republicans?

Please consider -

- Republicans have attempted to get us our benefits, to prevent us from going without them while they worked on the overall bill, three times now, and every time the Democrats have turned them down.

- The Republicans have also - thune .... If the Republicans had been allowed to have their way, we, the 1.2 million unemployed that have now lost our benefits, would never have had to have missed a check.

- It is the Democrats, NOT the Republicans, that have prevented us from receiving the unemployment benefits we so desperately need while this country is struggling to get back on its feet, while we are struggling to find a job in this horrible "jobless recovery".

- It is the Democrats, NOT the Republicans, that have prevented the passage of an Unemployment Benefits Extension bill that not only helped us but also helped the entire nation and future prospects for employment by reducing the deficit.

- Remember that it is our legislators job to take care of not just our immediate need, but many different issues and many different needs for the good of the entire country. In the case of this "Tax Extenders" bill that they had before them, unemployment benefits extensions was just a part of it. And so the Republicans offered a way to fully help us AND help the nation by offering an amendment that did both. As Senator McConnell said on the floor of the Senate last night, "The only thing Republicans have opposed in this debate are job-killing taxes and adding to the national debt." And about unemployment benefits extensions, he said, "We've offered ways of paying for these programs, and we've been eager to approve them."

Be careful what you believe when you hear it from the mainstream media. Dig deeper. Find out what is really going on. The truth is, you and I would not be without our unemployment benefits right now, most of us likely to lose everything, if the Republicans had had their way. It is the Democrats that have prevented us from receiving those desperately needed unemployment benefits checks, the Democrats who are using us as political props, demonizing the Republicans for holding up our unemployment benefits when THEY are the ones that are doing that.

Do I have an agenda? Yes, I do. I want unemployment benefits restored until I can get back on my feet. But I want it done in a way that helps, not hurts, this country and the overall economy long term.

And so I want you, my fellow unemployed Americans, to know and understand the truth of what is going on so you will make wise decisions in the coming elections. For all the mistakes that both sides have made in the past, some are trying to change their ways, halt the bleeding and get back in the business of taking care of this country. The Republicans have shown the way to provide unemployment benefits extensions while reducing the deficit by tens of billions of dollars. And they've shown repeatedly that they want to help us, this nation's unemployed, while the Democrats have shown repeatedly that they only want to use us. Neither unemployment or massive deficits should be partisan issues. But the Democrats have made them such.

Sources:

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/domestic-taxes/103853-thune-substitute-fails

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/domestic-taxes/105511-mcconnells-alternative-bill-fails-on-the-senate-floor-

http://senatus.wordpress.com/2010/06/21/reid-rejects-alternative-extenders-legislation/