Senate Continues Debating Unemployment Extension

The U-S Senate continues to debate proposals to extend unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless in the United States. Meantime, Michigan’s Senior U-S Senator is hoping for a quick solution for what he calls “desparate” people who continue to look for work. Senator Carl Levin says it’s “immoral” not to act quickly to extend a federal law which expired in late December allowing for emergency extensions of unemployment benefits from 20 weeks to 56 weeks. The Detroit Democrat says it will cost about 6.5 billion dollars for a three-month extension. While Republicans have proposed budget cuts affecting children to offset the cost, Levin counters with closing major tax loopholes given to corporations to make up the difference. Failure to act on an emergency extension has thrown 1.3 million unemployed off of the insurance program. Levin says this is an emergency situation, and Congress needs to act even if the revenue is not there right now to pay for it.