Payroll Tax Cut

Last-Minute Fights Slow Down Payroll Tax Cut Deal

Brian Beutler and Sahil Kapur | February 15, 2012, 11:31AM

Rep. John Boehner (R-OH)

Barring an unexpected collapse in negotiations, a broad deal to extend the temporary payroll tax cut and other expiring measures will be finalized Wednesday. But with time winding down, top Democrats and Republicans are still fighting over key details -- particularly how to pay for over $50 billion of the approximately $150 billion package.

One of the likely financing provisions would require federal workers to provide greater contributions to their own retirement packages.

"I'm very unhappy with the projected pay-fors which hit average working Americans, otherwise known as federal employees, pretty hard," House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) told TPM and one other reporter in the Capitol Wednesday. "I don't know the exact details and the exact details are being worked on. So from that standpoint I'm not happy."

Hoyer represents a Maryland district that's chockablock with federal workers, which underlies his concerns. Asked if he himself planned to vote for the measure, Hoyer proclaimed "I don't know."

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Barack Obama

Obama's Job Package To Top $350B

Susan Crabtree | September 8, 2011, 5:37PM

President Barack Obama

Details and excerpts of President Obama's plan to spur job creation and economic growth began to leak out Thursday evening ahead of Obama's joint address to Congress scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

"The people of this country work hard to meet their responsibilities," Obama plans to say, according to brief excerpts of the speech. "The question tonight is whether we'll meet ours. The question is whether, in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy; whether we can restore some of the fairness and security that has defined this nation since our beginning."

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Barack Obama

Obama on Economy: 'We Are Going To Get Through This'

Susan Crabtree | August 5, 2011, 11:26AM

One day after a precipitous slide in the financial markets spurred new speculation about a double-dip recession, President Obama sought to reassure Americans that the country is slowly recovering from its economic crisis with a light at the end of a very long tunnel.

The President pointed to the slightly better than expected jobs numbers the Labor Department announced early Friday as proof of the nation's steady but fragile economic recovery. The unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 9.1 percent as July nonfarm payrolls grew by 117,000 jobs - slightly beating expectations.

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Christine O'Donnell

O'Donnell: Unemployment Benefits Deal 'Tragedy' Like Pearl Harbor And Elizabeth Edwards

Eric Kleefeld | December 8, 2010, 11:13AM

Christine O'Donnell

Christine O'Donnell, the religious right activist and recent losing Republican Senate nominee in Delaware, offered her two cents Tuesday on the deal that President Obama worked out with the Republican leadership on extending both tax cuts and unemployment benefits -- likening it to the death of Elizabeth Edwards, and the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Hill reports:

Today marks a lot of tragedy," O'Donnell, the Tea Party-backed GOP Senate candidate from Delaware, said Tuesday night during an appearance in Virginia.

"Tragedy comes in threes," O'Donnell said. "Pearl Harbor, Elizabeth Edwards's passing and Barack Obama's announcement of extending the tax cuts, which is good, but also extending the unemployment benefits."

O'Donnell continued: "The reason I say this is a tragedy is because his announcement of economic recovery was more of a potpourri of sound bytes. It's like he took a little bit of what each party wanted and put it together. It's not a solid plan constructed on sound economic principles."

Unemployment

Unemployment Rate Remains Stuck At 9.6% As Benefits Set To Expire

Megan Carpentier | November 5, 2010, 10:04AM

An unemployed man.

The Labor Department released unemployment statistics this morning for the month of October, eliciting cheers from some quarters over the fact that private sector payrolls added 150,000 jobs and beat market expectations. But the unemployment rate remained stuck at 9.6 percent -- and a closer look at the numbers indicate that key sectors impacted by the economic downturn haven't seen the improvement many had hoped for.

And, in a sign that unemployed and semi-employed Americans are getting discouraged again, the labor force participation rate edged down in October, as did the number of Americans employed part-time for economic reasons. The number of people only marginally attached to the labor market -- those who have looked for work in the past year but not in the past month -- increased by 200,000. Furthermore, the number of long-term unemployed -- those who have spent more than 27 weeks without a job -- increased from 6.12 million to 6.2 million over the past month.

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Tea Party

Top Six Established Laws That Tea Partiers Claim Are Unconstitutional

Brian Beutler | October 26, 2010, 8:59AM

Tea Party activists in Washington, D.C.

It seems as if we've heard more about the Constitution this election than we did in 2008, when questions of due process and cruel and unusual punishment were bona fide election issues. Two years in to Barack Obama's presidency, after turning a blind eye throughout the Bush years, a key goal for the Tea Party this election is to "return" to the Constitution. Minus certain parts of it. And only if you read other parts in a very specific way.

We know the Tea Party has a ... unique interpretation of the country's foundational text, but it's hard sometimes to keep track of all the things their favored candidates would like to see abolished or relegated as part of this "return."

Their convenient reading of various amendments -- particularly the 10th -- would radically transform the country as we know it. Here are a few major programs that would change or disappear.

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AK-SEN

Joe Miller's Wife Received Unemployment Benefits Miller Later Called 'Not Constitutionally Authorized'

Brian Beutler | October 5, 2010, 12:12PM

Joe Miller

Tea Party-backed Alaska Senate candidate Joe Miller (R) thinks federal unemployment insurance is constitutionally questionable. But it turns out his wife benefited from it in the early part of the decade -- after she left a job working for him.

According to a resume that she submitted to the state of Alaska in 2009, Miller's wife, Kathleen, worked for him briefly in 2002. In a statement yesterday, the Miller campaign acknowledged that she received unemployment benefits after she left.

"After leaving my office Kathleen did receive unemployment benefits for a short period of time," Miller acknowledged. Unemployment benefits are typically only given to workers who are fired without cause or laid off.

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NV-SEN

Angle: Extending Unemployment Insurance 'Doesn't Benefit Anyone'

Eric Kleefeld | September 3, 2010, 12:14PM

Sharron Angle

Sharron Angle is continuing to rail against unemployment benefits -- going so far as to say that extending the payments "really doesn't benefit anyone."

Angle has previously said that "We really have spoiled our citizenry" with unemployment benefits -- a comment that has made its way into a Harry Reid attack ad. Now, as the Huffington Post reports, Angle made her latest comment Wednesday on the radio show of conservative talker Heidi Harris.

"The problem here, the problem here is what always happens with progressives. They want to put band-aids on problems rather than put real solutions to problems," said Angle. "People don't want to be unemployed. They want to have real, full-time and permanent jobs with a future. That's what they want.

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Unemployment

Rosy Rhetoric On New Unemployment Numbers Doesn't Match Reality For Many Americans

Megan Carpentier | September 3, 2010, 11:02AM

Job seekers line up for a job fair in midtown in New York.

On the cusp of America's celebration of labor's place in American life, the Labor Department released its monthly review of employment statistics to relatively optimistic reactions from the White House and the media, despite the fact that 54,000 fewer Americans had jobs at the end of August than did in July.

The cause for all the celebration is that the 54,000 net new unemployed Americans were mostly Census workers who expected to be unemployed by September, so the overall increase in unemployment wasn't really that bad. But, a deeper look at the numbers belies the rosy rhetoric.

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NV-SEN

Reid Ad Pits Woman Who Was On Unemployment Against Angle (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 31, 2010, 10:33AM

"Spoiled" ad from Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has a new TV ad out, attacking Republican nominee Sharron Angle for opposing the extension of unemployment benefits. And this new ad puts a new twist on the Reid campaign theme of using Angle's words against her -- featuring a woman who was on unemployment for 12 months, reacting to Angle's various comments.

The ad shows Angle saying, "We really have spoiled our citizenry," and also, "they want to be dependent on the government."

"I'm not spoiled, and I don't want to be dependent on anybody," the woman in the ad says. "If Sharron Angle doesn't get that, she should be out of work -- not people like me."

The TPM Poll Average puts Reid ahead by a margin of 46.6%-43.7%.

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WV-SEN

Carte Goodwin Sworn In As New West Virginia Senator

Eric Kleefeld | July 20, 2010, 2:29PM

Sen. Carte Goodwin (D-WV) is sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden.

Sen. Carte Goodwin (D-WV) has been sworn into office by Vice President Joe Biden, following his appointment last Friday by Gov. Joe Manchin, to serve as a temporary Senator in the seat formerly held by the late Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd.

Goodwin, a former general counsel in Manchin's administration, will serve in the seat through this November, when a special election for the seat will be held. Manchin is now running in that election, and is probably the strongest candidate that Democrats could have gotten for the race in a state that is historically Democratic but has been trending to the right.

Goodwin's interim appointment, however, will have an immediate effect: The expected passage today of an extension of unemployment benefits, for which he will provide the 60th vote.

Michele Bachmann

Bachmann: Pay For Unemployment Benefits, But Tax Cuts 'Shouldn't Be Considered A Cost' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | July 20, 2010, 2:18PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) speaking at CPAC

You can add the name of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) to the list of Republicans who believe that unemployment benefits should have to be paid for, but potential deficits from tax cuts should not be paid for.

Bachmann, the founder of the newly-formed House Tea Party Caucus, appeared today on Good Morning America, and was asked about this very topic by George Stephanopoulos.

"I think we need to be paying for all the spending that's going on," said Michele Bachmann. "But when people can keep more of their own money that shouldn't be considered a cost."

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Barack Obama

Obama: 'Partisan Minority' Must Stop 'Misguided' Blocking Of Unemployment Benefits (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | July 19, 2010, 11:20AM

President Obama had some harsh words today for the Republicans who keep blocking unemployment benefits in the Senate, calling them "a partisan minority" that "didn't have any problem spending hundreds of billion of dollars for tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans," but is now blocking relief for the middle class.

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2010 elections

Obama Gets Tougher On GOP's Blockage Of Unemployment Benefits

Christina Bellantoni | July 19, 2010, 6:00AM

President Barack Obama

President Obama this morning will suggest that Congressional Republicans are obstructionists and hypocrites, stepping up his criticism on an issue that's languished for weeks. In a statement to the press in the Rose Garden at 10:30 a.m., Obama will highlight the pending measure to extend unemployment insurance and say that Republicans are "denying millions of people who are out work and trying to find a job the needed relief."

A White House official told TPM that Obama also will say that Republicans want tax cuts for the wealthy but are filibustering this bill to help the unemployed. The official said Obama "will tell the stories of Americans in need of the extension and he will have strong words for Republicans who have previously supported unemployment extensions under Republican Presidents but refuse to offer relief to middle class families today."

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Rand Paul

Republicans To Unemployed: Why Won't You All Just Get Some Jobs Already?

Jillian Rayfield | July 14, 2010, 8:30AM

Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul (R), Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and an unemployment line in the 1930s.

Jim Bunning and Tom Coburn blocked the extension of unemployment benefits. Jon Kyl called supporting the unemployed a "necessary evil." There's even been talk from one Republican that Congress is creating a nation of "hobos."

So here's TPM's round-up of Republicans hating on the jobless for...well, for being jobless.

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Jim Bunning

Bunning Relents, Accepts Deal On Unemployment Bill

Rachel Slajda | March 2, 2010, 7:11PM

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY)

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) has accepted a deal to drop his one-man filibuster of a bill that would extend expiring unemployment benefits for hundreds of thousands of people.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office has confirmed to TPMDC that Bunning accepted the deal, but declined to provide details.

Bunning, in exchange for dropping his objection, will get one vote on an amendment to pay for the bill, which will cost an estimated $10 billion. Bunning's amendment to pay for the bill will be the only amendment allowed on the floor. A final vote is scheduled to begin at 8:30 tonight.

Bunning will also get two votes on amendments for another bill which would extend unemployment benefits for one year, according to Roll Call. A spokesman for Reid would not confirm that detail.

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Unemployment benefits

Reid On Bunning: The GOP Has 'Gone Too Far'

Rachel Slajda | March 2, 2010, 2:50PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters today that Sen. Jim Bunning's (R-KY) blocking of a bill to extend employment benefits has taken GOP obstructionism "too far."

Bunning's reason for blocking the bill is "without any foundation of fact," Reid said.

"Now [Bunning] is out there lecturing the country on pay-go, something he didn't vote for," Reid told reporters after his weekly lunch with Senate Democrats. Reid also scolded Bunning for supporting tax cuts and two wars that added to the deficit.

Reid said the GOP has "gone too far" and is hurting thousands of Americans with obstruction.

"If there were ever an emergency this is it," Reid said.

Reporting by Christina Bellantoni

Filibuster

Bunning Keeps Blocking Unemployment Benefits Bill -- Even Though It Has GOP Support (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | March 2, 2010, 12:10PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid once again tried to bring a bill to the floor this morning that would extend unemployment benefits, this time enlisting Republican Sen. Susan Collins (ME) to introduce the motion for unanimous consent in an effort to convince Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) to drop his filibuster.

But Bunning continued to object.

Collins, introducing the motion, said it has support on both sides of the aisle, and added that Republicans wanted it done last week. Reid added that, "We need to vote," and pleaded with Bunning to drop his objection. Bunning has been holding up a vote on the legislation, which would extend jobless benefits past Feb. 28. The hold is affecting about 400,000 people, according to the Department of Labor.

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Unemployment benefits

Asked To Shame Bunning's Obstruction Gibbs Tells Press 'I'm Trying As Best I Can' (VIDEO)

Christina Bellantoni | March 2, 2010, 9:03AM

Press Sec. Robert Gibbs at the White House Press Briefing, March 1, 2010

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters during his daily briefing Monday that he's tried to shine a light on Republican obstruction and hypocrisy.

Veteran scribe Helen Thomas asked Gibbs why he doesn't "shame" Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) for holding up unemployment benefits.

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