Harry Reid To Push New Bill Restoring Unemployment Benefits
Source: Huffington Post
WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will introduce new legislation Tuesday to restore long-term unemployment insurance for 2 million workers.
According to an aide, the bill would reauthorize the compensation for six months retroactive to Dec. 28th, when the benefits lapsed for 1.3 million workers (more claimants have become eligible for federal benefits since then). Reid's plan is to use savings from the recently passed farm bill in order to offset the cost of the measure and win Republican support.
Several Republican senators have said they support reauthorizing the benefits, but only if the cost is offset -- and it has to be offset in a way that they like. It's unclear if farm bill savings will win them over.
"We're in this gray area from Republicans where we get positive signals but they refuse to commit," the aide said. "We're basically willing to compromise on every aspect of this to get this done."
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/04/unemployment-benefits_n_4898190.html?ref=topbar
The big IF is whether it passes in the House. Color me a skeptic, but good to see the Dems taking this on.
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