×

Thu., 8:14 pm: Jobless bill stalls in Senate

WASHINGTON – Legislation to resurrect long-term jobless legislation stalled in the Senate today, triggering recriminations from both sides of the political aisle despite earlier expressions of optimism that benefits might soon be restored for more than 1 million victims of the recession.

Gridlock asserted itself after majority Democrats offered to pay for a 10-month extension of a scaled-back program of benefits – then refused to permit Republicans even to seek any changes.

Instead, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., accused Republicans of “continually denigrating our economy, our president and frankly, I believe, our country.”

But Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana, one of a half-dozen Republicans who helped advance the bill over an initial hurdle earlier in the week, said he hadn’t been consulted on any compromise.

Echoing complaints by other members of his party, he said that under Reid’s leadership he has been relegated to the sidelines. Indiana voters “didn’t send me here to be told just to sit down and forget it,” he said.

At issue was a struggle over the possible resurrection of a program that expired on Dec. 28, immediately cutting off benefits of roughly $256 weekly for more than 1.3 million hurt by the recession.

The measure is the first to come before the Senate in the election year, and since Monday has become ground zero of a competition between the political parties to appeal to hard-hit victims of the longest recession in more than a half-century.

While unemployment has receded in recent months, long-term jobless is high by historical standards.

Despite the squabbling, lawmakers in both parties said the effort to find a compromise would continue.

“We’re still trying to work through this,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., whose state has 9 percent unemployment.

At midday today, Reid had expressed optimism about the chances for compromise, and Democratic officials said talks with Republicans were focused on a scaled-back program that is fully paid for and would provide up to 31 weeks of benefits for the long-term unemployed.

The officials said the proposal would run through the late fall, and the price tag – approximately $18 billion – would be offset through cuts elsewhere in the budget so deficits would not rise.

Reid told reporters he was “cautiously optimistic” about a compromise emerging later in the day, and said he had held meetings with fellow Nevadan Dean Heller, a Republican, but provided no details.

But mid-afternoon, when Reid formally outlined the proposal, there was no evident Republican support for it, and each side accused the other of an unwillingness to compromise.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
     

Starting at $4.85/week.

Subscribe Today