Will the Unemployment "Extenders" Bill Finally Pass This Week? Pressure Brought to Republican Senators Snowe and Collins

Will the unemployment "extenders" bill finally pass in the Senate this week? Now in week three of debate, with failure after failure to garner the 60 votes necessary to pass some version of HR-4213, the fate of millions of Americans is hanging in the balance.

HR-4213, in it's original form, failed on a bi-partisan 45-52 vote, last Wednesday over concerns by both parties over its enormous unfunded cost and massive addition to the already staggering national deficit. Nevertheless, with cost and mounting deficit concerns the obvious sticking point, far left Democrats still went on to reject a fully paid for and deficit reducing plan by the Republicans (Read "Democrats Block Benefits Extension") which would have funded employment benefits extensions through November.

Democrats, intent on preserving unallocated "stimulus" funds for their own pet projects and political pay offs and unwilling to trim the fat in their own pay or budgets, chose instead to try to reduce the cost of the "Extenders" bill and, thus, garner more votes, by first reducing unemployment benefits, among other things. (Read "Now Democrats Want to Cut Benefits to Pay For Them!) Reducing the cost some but still adding billions to the deficit, the revised Democrat bill still came up four votes short on Thursday. Senators Ben Nelson (D-Neb) and Joe Lieberman (D-Conn) continued to hold out from the Democrat side of the aisle.

But it's not over 'til it's over and, while some Democrat lawmakers were beginning to show signs of war-weariness, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) vowed to press on, suggesting his office would continue to tweak the unemployment benefits extension bill over the weekend in an attempt to lure the additional four votes necessary for passage this week.

While Senate leaders will also, no doubt, continue to attempt to persuade the four most vulnerable no votes to come over to their position, several other groups have also taken aim at Moderate Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both of Maine. Two liberal groups - Americans United for Change (AUfC) and the labor group the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), banded together and put over $75,000 into advertising in the Republican legislators' home state of Maine to pressure them into voting for the revised HR-4213. (The American Jobs and Closing Loopholes Act of 2010, aka Tax Extenders Bill, which includes the unemployment benefits extension.)

It remains to be seen whether these tactics will work on RINO Senators Snowe and Collins or whether conversation or arm twisting will be adequate to sway the votes of Democrats Lieberman and Nelson. It is not known, as of this writing, whether any substantive or positive changes have been made to the bill. Some sources indicated that another vote could come as early as 2:00 p.m. Eastern this afternoon, but that remains to be seen. And it remains to be seen whether they will yet have the votes.

For the sake of the unemployed, myself included, I hope so. For the sake of the country, the unemployed included, I wish they would get together and pass an unemployment benefits extension bill without raising the deficit. Neither unemployment nor national deficits should be either Republican or Democrat Issues as they effect all of us. (Read: 'Why Every American Should Support Benefits Extensions" and "Five Reasons Benefits Should Be Extended") Time to set aside partisan politics and once again - do the right thing.

Sources:

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/104383-groups-target-snowe-and-collins-on-extenders-bill-with-new-ad

http://blogs.forbes.com/greatspeculations/2010/06/19/tax-extenders-bill-dies-many-times-before-its-death/