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Report: Reid Pushing Now for 10-Month Unemployment Extension « The Washington Independent

Jul 31, 20208.2K Shares329.7K Views
Though initial proposals for extending unemployment benefits have ranged from six months (in the House) to three months (in the Baucus-Grassley proposal), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is now pushing for an even longer extension: through the end of the year. The AP’s Andrew Taylor reports:
Facing a Feb. 28 deadline, Reid hopes to pass two measures, one as soon as Tuesday. The first includes a 30-day extension of several of soon-to-expire provisions such as jobless aid, parts of the Patriot Act and prevention of cuts in Medicare payments to doctors.
Reid and McConnell were obviously negotiating the parameters of the second — a broader, longer-term measure — in a private conversation on the Senate floor. A top Reid aide could be overheard suggesting a full-year extension of unemployment insurance and a 65 percent health insurance subsidy for the unemployed through the federal COBRA program.
Of note, the extension they’re considering surrounds the filing deadline for existing benefits, not the creation of a additional benefit tiers.
Hajra Shannon

Hajra Shannon

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