Unemployed Americans who have been out of work for six months or more can finally breathe a sigh of relief thanks to Senate action Tuesday.
Senators voted 60-40 Tuesday afternoon to end debate on whether or not to distribute $34 billion more in unemployment compensation through November for those who have exhausted their customary 26 weeks of aid, reports The New York Times. Republicans have held up the legislation due to fears that the bill would only add to the ballooning federal deficit.
Tuesday’s ruling eliminates the threat of a filibuster, meaning the bill is likely to pass when put to a vote. Debate has stalled the legislation for two months while unemployed Americans saw their benefits expire.
Democrats were just one vote short of nixing the chance of a filibuster until the successor to the late Robert C. Byrd in Virginia assumed his post. Literally minutes after Carte Goodwin was sworn in as the new Democratic senator of West Virginia, the Senate put the action to a vote.
“Finally, finally, finally,” Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, Democrat of Maryland told The Times. She called the unemployment insurance program a social contract with American workers that meant “when you hit a speed bump and have to be laid off through no fault of your own, there will be a safety net so that you do not fall.”
The Congressional Budget Office says extending jobless benefits, which average nearly $310 a week, is the most efficient way for government policymakers to stimulate a weak economy: Every $1 spent on benefits generates 70 cents to $1.90 in economic growth, the CBO says (as reported by ABC News).
After the Senate completes its final vote on the measure, the House will have to vote on it. President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law at the White House shortly afterwards, bringing much-needed aid to the jobless.
Photo by Citypeek via Wikimedia Commons.