The GOP-sponsored “Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act,” which extends payroll tax cuts and extends but reduces unemployment benefits through 2012, passed in the U.S. House Tuesday night, but it will not pass in the Senate.
The meeting that House GOP leaders said they would have with the two legislators who are pushing for the establishment of a Tier 5 for unemployment insurance that would give an additional 14 weeks of benefits for the long-term jobless will happen on Thursday.
MLive’s Jackie Headapohl More…
President Obama explains a deal with Republicans on the Bush tax cuts (for further information, read TAI’s coverage of the deal):
The midterm hangover having finally worn off, the 111th Congress returns today to kick off the lame-duck session, its last hurrah before its successor takes over. And the 112th Congress will look radically different, with Republicans in control of the House and the Democratic majority in the Senate significantly reduced. More…
Over the past year, Democrats in Congress have fought three times to reauthorize federally extended unemployment benefits, which provide up to 99 weeks of unemployment insurance to millions of jobless workers. Each time, Republicans have put up resistance, arguing that Democrats need to pay for the benefits by cutting spending More…
This morning, the Department of Labor announced that initial unemployment insurance claims rose to 462,000, an increase of 13,000 from last week’s 449,000, itself revised up from 445,000. The four-week moving average, which smooths out the jumpy weekly data, rose to 459,000.
On Aug. 10, President Obama signed into law a state-aid bill, providing $16.1 billion to states for Medicaid and $10 billion to prevent teacher layoffs. The emergency measure provided much-needed help to states — all of which save for Vermont are required to run balanced budgets — with More…
Arthur Delaney notes that Congress, when it returns from campaigning and the midterm elections, will only have seven working days to reauthorize extended unemployment benefits before they expire. Last time around, it took 50 working days — more than two months, total:
Congress has blown reauthorization deadlines for extended
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