Without Tier V Extension for Unemployment Benefits, Millions to Lose Assistance

The result of stalling the bill that would allow an extension of unemployment benefits, or Tier V as some are calling it, is about to hit home as one million more Americans are set to see their government assistance run out. Yahoo News reports:

An attempt to pass another extension has become bogged down in partisan political bickering in the Senate. Relief agencies fear that failure to extend benefits will strain their resources and may worsen the U.S. housing crisis.

"This will put a great deal of stress and strain on our organization, which has already been working hard," said Vicki Escarra, chief executive of Feeding America, which has a network of more than 200 food banks. In the year ended June 30, Feeding America distributed 3 billion pounds (1.36 billion kg) of food, a 50 percent increase over the past two years.

The benefits debate has pitted the majority of Democrats against most Republicans and some conservative Democrats.

When the House of Representatives passed a $34 billion benefit extension on July 1, 11 fiscally conservative Democrats voted against it. The Senate may take up the issue again in mid-July, but Republicans like Senator Tom Coburn have argued any extension must be paid for with cuts elsewhere...

During the Senate impasse, from the week ended June 5 to the week ended July 10, more than 2.1 million Americans lost their benefits. Another million will join them by July 31.

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16 Ways to Go Green for Less

Forget Fancy Gardening Products

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Beer-Bottle Water Heater
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The passing of longtime Democratic Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) pushed the date back on a vote set to take place in the Senate on the unemployment extension bill -- the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, or H.R. 4213 -- until the week of Monday, July 19. Democrats did not have the necessary 60 votes to pass the measure and promptly reserved the right for a revote in the future. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) will not call another vote on the bill until the governor of West Virginia names the appointment for the late Senator Byrd or one of the 38 Republican Senators or Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) changes their stance against the legislation.

Republicans against passing the bill as is are looking at the increasing federal deficit and questioning the need to continue adding to it without offsetting costs. Democrats do not want to use stimulus monies for unemployment benefits, as suggested by Republicans, and refuse to give in to Republican demands about the tax increases included in the measure, some of which increase taxes for the wealthy.

Both parties need to get their acts together and take action soon. With important elections coming in November, the federal deficit, unemployment and the general state of the economy are hot button issues. Some states need the additional Tier V unemployment aid more than others and candidates can believe that those voters will remember who provided them with help when they needed it most -- and punish those who didn't.

Plus, Americans in need don't have any recourse until this bill is passed in the Senate. Hopefully, there will be jobs for some folks when their aid eventually comes to an end on July 31 -- but it is doubtful that there will be one million jobs. The remaining desperate Americans who cannot find jobs will fall on very hard times.