A day after Senators unexpectedly mustered 60 votes to take a first step forward on a bill to extend expired long term jobless benefits, the mood turned a bit sour on the floor of the Senate, as the outlook for action seemed to dim as both parties squared off over the need for budget cuts to pay for the plan.
"I will not vote to end debate without offsets," said Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), who joined with other Republicans to urge votes on a series of GOP plans to find budget savings to pay the $6.5 billion tab for a three months extension of the jobless plan.
"That's correct, I will not be voting for cloture," said Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), also saying there must be budget savings involved.
"I've made that clear and it sounds like Senator Ayotte has as well."
But while Portman and other GOP Senators outlined their plans to do things like stop the payment of jobless benefits to millionaires or make sure child tax credits don't go to illegal immigrants, Democrats saw only one thing - an effort to block fast action on a short term benefits extension.
"I oppose paying for any short-term extension of unemployment benefits," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on the Senate floor, labeling such an effort "very unfair to the people who are in desperate need of help."
"It's impossible for my Republican colleagues to explain to the American people their callous opposition to the plight of 1.3 million Americans," Reid said, referring to those who had lost benefits in recent weeks.
Reid's remarks came after a lengthy floor speech by Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, in which he again publicly urged Democrats to allow votes on more amendments, saying that if Republicans won control of the Senate, there would be more than a three day work week in the future.
"The answer is to let folks debate; to let the Senate work its will. And that means bringing bills to the floor. It means having a free and open amendment process. It means legislating," said McConnell.
But Democrats say Republicans aren't interested in real amendments or real legislating, as both sides say the other is guilty of political posturing at every turn.
At one point, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said Republicans had been told to offer one plan to offset the cost of the jobless benefits bill, seemingly sending the message that the GOP would get only one chance to change the bill, making it more unlikely that a deal might be struck.
On the House side, Speaker John Boehner again said he was open to some kind of deal with the White House, both on how to pay for the plan and maybe the inclusion of plans to spur new job creation.
Behind the scenes, there were Senators in both parties trying to reach a deal, but it wasn't clear if there was truly a way forward.
If that's the case, then this jobless benefits bill may well run aground soon - a rather rocky start to 2014, in just the first full week of work in Congress.
Happy New Year.
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