Unemployment Extension Bill Tier 5 and 99ers Hangs in the Balance
Republicans view the Unemployment Extension Tier 5 for 99ers as too costly since the government will incur additional $33 billion in expenditures. The GOP blocked the Tier 5 inclusion in HR 4213 or the Unemployment Extension Bill. The bill was not signed by President Barack Obama on July 23.
99ers are Americans who had been out of work for more than 99 weeks. Federal law states that payment of unemployment benefits will be limited to 99 weeks. Bsed on US Statistics there are about 1.4 million Americans who are 99ers comprising more than 9% of the number of unemployed.
"If we can’t pay for a program like extension of unemployment insurance that virtually every member of the Senate supports … then what are we going to pay for?" says Republican Senator Mitch MaConnel from Kentucky.
Questions were however raised by 99ers regarding the double standard being set by Congress. "If they can pay for the loans and credits of big banks and the Wall Street, why can't they help their own people who are struggling to make ends meet?" asks one 99er who had been unhappy with the exclusion of Tier 5 in the Unemployment Extension Act of 2010.
With the elections coming in November, 99ers and unemployed Americans will surely remember the names of representatives and senators who voted against Tier 5 and who they feel abandoned and neglected them.
Do you think that including a Tier 5 Unemployment Extension for 99ers are way too much? Tell us what you think.
