Unemployment Benefit Extension Bill Introduced in Senate; Out of Work Americans Watch Closely; Jobless Benefit Insurance Extension faces Opposition

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Republicans have stated that they would not be able to entertain the idea of extending unemployment benefits unless money to pay for the benefit package stemmed from a reduction in other budgetary spending. The national deficit has been growing and many legislators would like to work towards reducing its size. Federal unemployment benefits for many Americans have an expiration date however. November 30th, today, is the date on which unemployment benefits are now set to expire. Without the extension, some 2 million people will go without jobless benefits across America by the end of the year. Yesterday, a Democrat-sponsored bill was introduced in the Senate which would reauthorize benefits for the out of work Americans that are positioned to exhaust their current unemployment benefits this year. Republicans though need to know how the bill will be paid for as the cost of the benefits over the past three years has totaled $319 billion. Details on how the unemployment extension bill would be paid for were not publicly presented. Passage of the bill will face opposition, especially if proper provisions are not in place to pay for the bill. Earlier this month, the house failed to pass a bill that would have extended unemployment benefits due to similar concerns. Author: Stephen Johnson

Unemployment Benefit Extension Bill Introduced in Senate; Out of Work Americans Watch Closely; Jobless Benefit Insurance Extension faces Opposition