Tag: jobless benefits
Adam Kinzinger

Rep. Kinzinger Says Trump Wants Jobless Relief Because ‘He Has An Election’

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) complained on Thursday that Donald Trump was motivated by an "election in November," and that is making it difficult for Republicans to be unified in negotiations over virus relief.

Speaking to the Guy Benson Show for a radio interview, Kinzinger said, because of Trump, Republicans may concede to Democrats and pass something because "the pressure's too great."

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economic downfall, U.S. economy

Trump And His Senate Enablers Push Economy Over A Cliff

Donald Trump & Co. have thrown already rapidly collapsing America off an economic cliff. Over the next few weeks, they will pound the wreckage, even set it afire, unless they get a lucrative new favor for Corporate America.

The Trumpians are actively ruining our economy because, in a perverse way, they share the belief of the Black Lives Matter protesters that the American justice system can't be trusted. Both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) cruel recalcitrance on coronavirus relief and the Black Lives Matter demands are about accountability in the courts.

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Mitch McConnell, Donald Trump

Senate Republicans Allow Vital Jobless Benefits To Lapse, Then Flees Capital

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Despite the pandemic-induced recession, millions of jobless Americans have been kept afloat by an uncharacteristically generous act of Congress. In addition to their state's usual unemployment payments — usually a fraction of their previous wages — Americans have been eligible to receive and additional $600 a week, desperately needed support for people who saw their incomes crater.

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U.S. Senators Strike Deal To Extend Jobless Insurance

U.S. Senators Strike Deal To Extend Jobless Insurance

Washington (AFP) – U.S. senators struck a bipartisan deal to reinstate emergency benefits for two million of America’s long-term unemployed, easing a months-long congressional impasse.

A group of 10 senators thrashed out the agreement, which would extend for five more months the benefits that ran out in late 2013 amid congressional bickering over how to pay for the insurance.

President Barack Obama had pushed hard for an extension of the emergency benefits last year, but the effort fell apart, leaving 1.3 million jobless in the lurch when their standard 26 weeks of jobless aid expired.

“The president has repeatedly called on Congress to take action on a compromise solution to extend this vital lifeline for millions of hard-working Americans as they look for work and support their families,” a White House statement said.

“This is not just the right thing to do for these Americans looking for work, it’s the right thing to do for our economy.”

Lawmakers stressed that the latest compromise is fully paid for, in part through “pension-smoothing” provisions that were set to expire, and by an extension of customs user fees through 2024.

It would also include skills assessment and referral programs to help get people back into the workforce, and would bar all millionaires from collecting the unemployment insurance.

The cost of the current compromise was not immediately clear, but a proposed three-month extension that failed to pass Congress in December carried a price tag of $6.5 billion.

“We’re not at the finish line yet, but this is a bipartisan breakthrough,” Democratic Senator Jack Reed, an architect of the deal, said in a statement.

The measure will likely need to clear a 60-vote threshold in the 100-member Senate before going to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where it could face opposition from fiscal conservatives.

But lawmakers sounded confident that the agreement they worked out had traction.

“Restoring this much-needed economic lifeline will help job seekers, boost our economy and provide a little certainty to families, businesses and the markets that Congress is capable of coming together to do the right thing,” Reed added.

Senator Dean Heller, the agreement’s chief Republican author, applauded colleagues on both sides.

“This deal extends these important benefits for five months, pays for them and brings buy-in from both sides of the aisle,” he said.

House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer warned that “every week Congress fails to act will see another 72,000 Americans lose access to this emergency insurance and states lose $400 million in economic activity.”

“Once the Senate has acted, I hope House Republicans will work with us to approve a bill quickly that can restore peace of mind to those who continue to search for work,” Hoyer added.

AFP Photo/Mark Wilson