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Jobless benefits extension stalls in Senate
Under escalating pressure to reduce federal deficit spending, congressional Democrats on Wednesday were forced for the second time in a month to scale back the scope of legislation extending benefits for the long-term unemployed.
The move to retrench came after the Senate voted, 45 to 52, to block a $140-billion bill that would link the extension of jobless benefits to a hodgepodge of other proposals–a delay in Medicare fee cuts for doctors, continuation of an array of business tax cuts, and aid to states to help them cover healthcare costs for the poor under Medicaid.
Resolving the impasse that has pitted deficit concerns against traditional social safety net programs provides an object lesson on how hard it is for Congress to legislate at a time when public anger over government spending is growing but the appetite and need for government programs has not waned.