Obama’s new bill helps the unemployed
The Senate is going to consider a bill that would extend to the end of November the deadline for filing to get unemployment benefits.
The Senate leaders have rejected the project several times because of deficit concerns, thinking that any benefits extension should be balanced by cutting the spending. The Democrats are counting on the replacement of the late senator Byrd to end this crisis. It seems that this bill will add an extra deficit spending of 33 billion dollars as the Congressional Budget Office estimates. President Barack Obama criticizes the congressional Republicans for allowing short-term political calculations to mix with the real economic needs. President Obama says that the Republicans think that the new bill would discourage people from searching work opportunities. He said that this attitude reflects a lack of faith in the American people, and that the unemployed are not looking for easy money, they want to work and they should be helped to survive until they find a proper job.
John Boehner, the House Minority Leader, fought back accusing Obama of fiscal irresponsibility. He says that the president should know the Republicans support extending unemployment insurance, but they insist on doing it in a fiscally responsible way, by cutting 3 trillion dollars from other spending. It has been estimated that more than one million Americans have exhausted unemployment benefits since the deadline expired in June.
