Senate negotiators struck a bipartisan deal Thursday that would renew federal unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless, allowing for retroactive payments to go to more than 2 million Americans whose benefits expired in late December. That set off a long debate and weeks of closed-door negotiations, led by Reed and Heller, who represent the two states with the worst unemployment rates in the nation. Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) signaled that the legislation would create a five-month extension of the federal benefits plan for the jobless, backdating the extension to late December, when the program expired. Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), who has opposed previous Senate plans as insufficient in providing offsetting cuts, did not offer a statement on the new proposal. The roughly $10 billion cost of the renewed federal jobless benefits would be offset by extending fees on goods coming through U.S. Customs and an alteration to the way corporations contribute to pensions, the senators announced. In addition, the legislation will include two changes to the unemployment program, one of which will require more job training for long-term jobless workers in order to continue receiving insurance benefits. “We’ve heard too many promises from this administration to buy in to that,” said Sen. Daniel Coats (R-Ind. “I’m pleased that we’ve reached an agreement that will get a sufficient number of Republican votes,” lead Republican negotiator Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) told reporters. With 55 members of the Democratic caucus supporting an extension of unemployment benefits, the five Republican supporters of the legislation provide just enough votes to clear the 60-vote hurdle needed to pass the legislation. For years, those extra federal jobless benefits won congressional approval without any offsetting spending cuts, but by late last year Republicans said that the unemployment program should no longer be considered “emergency” spending and should instead be brought into the normal portion of the budget.
– Long-term unemployed people who lost their benefits at the end of last year now have hope of getting that money after all. A group of bipartisan senators struck a deal today to extend the benefits for five months, retroactive to December, reports Politico. Because five Republicans already have signed on to the deal, it should have enough votes to clear the full Senate, reports the Washington Post. Whether it can clear the House, however, is a dicier proposition. Under the deal, the $10 billion cost would be offset in part by US Customs fees. “It has now been 75 days since UI expired, and it needs to be renewed," says one of the lead negotiators, Democrat Jack Reed of Rhode Island. "We’re not at the finish line yet, but this is a bipartisan breakthrough."