President Obama(Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais, AP)
Tags
- Barack Obama
- United States Senate
President Obama spends Tuesday on the first political fight of 2014 with congressional Republicans, a proposed extension of unemployment benefits.
Obama discusses the issue at a late morning event that includes people who saw their jobless insurance lapse at the turn of the year.
“The President will talk about the toll that allowing these benefits to expire has had on 1.3 million Americans, and he’ll warn of the negative consequences for the broader economy if Congress fails to act quickly on this urgent priority,” the White House says.
Obama’s speech comes after a key Senate vote on a proposed extension, and its prospects are uncertain.
Senate Republicans may block a final vote on the proposal, saying that a renewal of jobless benefits should be offset by cuts in other parts of the budget. That is also the position of the leadership in the Republican-run House.
“Spending $6.5 billion in three months without trying to find ways to pay for it, or improve the underlying policy, is irresponsible and takes us in the wrong direction,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn.
From www.usatoday.com
