Kerry expects action on extension of jobless aid
I found this on the website later in the afternoon.
"Senate bill to extend jobless benefits fails in test vote
Proposed federal legislation that would have extended unemployment benefits for people without jobs failed to muster even a majority in a test vote in the US Senate, much less the 60 votes that would be required to defeat a GOP filibuster.
Tens of thousands of Massachusetts workers could have benefitted from the extension. The bill also included a provision to set aside millions of dollars to fund summer jobs programs for local teenagers, a story in today's Globe noted. Senator John F. Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, told the Globe earlier this week that he expected the bill to be approved by the Senate. It is "critical that we do this," Kerry said then of approving legislation to extend the jobless benefits.
Republicans and a dozen Democratic defectors voted against the Senate bill just a few days after President Obama pressed Congress to renew pieces of last year's economic stimulus bill.
Now Obama's Democratic allies have been forced back to the drawing board in their efforts to pass the measure, which also would protect doctors from a looming cut in Medicare payments and raise taxes on investment fund managers. A new, scaled back version of the measure is likely to be revealed Wednesday afternoon.
This morning's defeat of the measure was unexpectedly lopsided as Democratic moderates -- who almost uniformly voted for an earlier version just three months ago -- joined with every Republican against the pending version on a 45-52 tally.
The vote reflected rising voter anger over deficits and the nation's $13 trillion debt. And it's by no means certain the measure can be revived to win moderate Democrats back and garner the handful of GOP votes needed to eventually pass it.
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Note WHERE they place this paragraph in the report I found in my printed newspaper this morning:
WASHINGTON — Senator Scott Brown, a freshman Republican from Massachusetts who has sided with Democrats on several key votes, said after meeting briefly with President Obama yesterday that he will not back any climate-change measure that includes a fee on carbon emissions, but he left open the possibility of supporting “a comprehensive energy plan.’’
Brown was invited for a personal session with the president in the Oval Office, a gesture generally used when a commander in chief wants to thank someone or solicit legislative support. While Brown described the meeting as friendly, he voiced strong reservations about some of the key proposals on Capitol Hill to deal with climate change and energy independence.
“I basically told him I’m not in favor of, nor could I support, a national energy tax or cap-and-trade proposal,’’ Brown told reporters at the Capitol after racing out of the White House to go back to the Senate for votes....
Brown came to Washington amid suggestions that he would supply the crucial vote against overhauling the Democratic proposal to overhaul health care. Democrats feared that Brown would prevent them from summoning the 60 votes required to break GOP filibusters. But Democrats passed the health care bill under legislative maneuvers that precluded Brown’s involvement....
Yeah, isn't it great that you were played for a fool for over a year as the MSM obsessed about the filibuster, America?
Brown has repeatedly has said he will not vote for an unemployment extension bill that adds to the deficit. Yesterday, he voted against a $140 billion bill to extend jobless benefits and provide aid to states. That measure is expected to come up again in a revised form later this week.
Gee, the Globe REALLY CLEANED UP behind John Kerry, huh?
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