Quick Fact: Unemployment Benefit Extension - Congress Talks While Millions of Americans Wait

The Senate vote to debate the extension of federal unemployment benefits finally happened this morning. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) was about to call for the vote on Monday when John Cornyn (R-Texas) accused Mr. Reid of pushing the issue with 17 senators absent because of weather delays.  Republicans were hoping to use the filibuster to stall the extension debate, but six Republicans joined the Democratic majority today, moving the question forward.

Despite agreeing that unemployment benefits help the economy, (those benefits are immediately poured back into the national money flow), Republicans, continue to harp on the need to cut the deficit--while ignoring the fact that the deficit is dropping faster than at any time since World War II.  They are pushing for the cost of the extension to be offset by reductions in other spending.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) used the opportunity to continue the Republican fight against the Affordable Care Act.  He proposed adding an amendment to the unemployment extension bill that would delay the ACA's individual mandate for a year.  His amendment was blocked by Mr. Reid.

I can only imagine the confusion that would reign with 6 million people already signed up for insurance if Mr. McConnell had been successful.

The Senate must now debate and vote on the extension before sending the bill to the House where Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is leading the no-extension-without-corresponding-spending-cut crusade. 

Other House Republicans seem to have some odd arguments against the extension. Representative Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma), remarked "These have been extraordinary extensions, and the Republican position all along has been 'we need to go back to normal here at some point.'"  Representative Rob Woodall (R-Georgia) added "What we did was never intended to be permanent.  It was intended to be a very temporary solution to a very temporary crisis."

Yes, a return to "normal" is the goal; but we haven't reached that employment point yet; and what Mr. Woodall is calling a "temporary crisis" has proven to be anything but.  As one pundit wrote recently: "The fire trucks don't shut off the hoses simply because the fire should have been put out by now."