Jobless Benefits Repeat

Once again, the Congress is going to go on a break without having extended long term jobless benefits, as the Senate failed to get 60 votes last night on another plan from Democrats.

By my count, this is the third time that Senators will have gone on a vacation without an agreement on extending those jobless benefits - the first time was Easter, the second just before Memorial Day, and now before the July 4th break.

The first time, just enough Republicans broke ranks to allow the plan to get through the Senate, but since then, GOP Senators have made clear they want offsetting budget cuts to pay for the extra spending, something Democrats have steadfastly refused to do.

And so, we have gridlock yet again.

Both parties blamed the other for the impasse, as Democrats said Republicans were punishing people who had lost jobs through no fault of their own, while GOP Senators said Democrats don't give a hoot about the skyrocketing level of government debt.

The key votes were cast by the usual few Senators that are in the middle.  Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) broke ranks and voted against the jobless bill again.

"I informed Senate leadership that I was willing to vote for new spending as long as it is paid for," Nelson said.  "I believe this can be done and that the votes are there to pass it."

On the other side, Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) stuck with his GOP colleagues and voted 'No', while the two Maine Senators broke ranks and voted 'Yes'.

With the loss of Sen. Robert Byrd's (D-WV) vote because of his death earlier this week, Democrats were stuck at 59, one short of the 60 needed to advance this bill.

That could be remedied once the Governor of West Virginia appoints a new Senator.  That is not expected until next month, so this may yet be a victory that Democrats will win.

But it sure has taken a long time.

Long term jobless benefits began running out back on June 1.  This latest plan would have restored those retroactively, and extended those payments until November 30.

Senators did manage to get one thing done, as they sent President Obama a bill that would extend a popular homebuyer's tax credit for three months to September 30.

Maybe there is some hope after all.

Once again, the Congress is going to go on a break without having extended long term jobless benefits, as the Senate failed to get 60 votes last night on another plan from Democrats. By my count, this is the third time that Senators will have gone on a vacation without ...