GOP sets up late-night vote on unemployment benefits legislation

Senate Republicans have forced Democrats to wait another 30 hours before final passage of extended unemployment benefits, derailing a plan to move quickly to comprehensive energy reform legislation.
 
The Senate voted at 2:31 p.m. Tuesday to cut off a GOP filibuster of the legislation but chamber rules require that 30 hours of post-cloture debate must elapse before final passage.
 
{mosads}Usually, the minority party yields back this time as a matter of courtesy so lawmakers can vote on final passage of a measure once debate is cut off.
 
Not so this week. Republicans have refused to allow a final vote on unemployment benefits until the procedural clock has run down, leaving the Senate floor empty on Wednesday.
 
As a result, the Senate may not hold a final vote until 10 p.m. Wednesday.
 
The tactic threatens to delay comprehensive energy reform, one of President Obama’s top priorities.
 
It’s looking increasingly unlikely that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) can finish small business legislation and a military supplemental spending bill by the end of the week. He hoped to complete those two measures to give the Senate a full two weeks to debate comprehensive energy reform before the August recess.
 
Reid could barely contain his anger on the Senate floor Tuesday evening.
 
“I want everyone watching the proceedings tonight to again understand what the Republicans are doing,” Reid said. “We just passed badly needed legislation to help 2.5 million unemployed.
 
“To show the lack of understanding and feeling and compassion of the Republicans, they’re making us waste 30 hours,” Reid said. “There are people who are desperate for this money. Desperate.”
 
Republicans argue the Democratic agenda needs to be stopped because it’s bad for the economy.
 
“For more than a year and a half, the president and his Democrat allies on Capitol Hill have pushed an anti-business, anti-jobs agenda on the American people in the form of one massive government intrusion after another,” Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) said on the floor Wednesday morning.

Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) on Wednesday morning said that Republicans support extended unemployment benefits but want to offset their cost with spending cuts.

The GOP has proposed using unobligated funds from the economic stimulus program to cover the $34 billion cost of extending benefits. Democrats argue that it would be counterproductive to withdraw money from a program that is designed to create jobs.

Reid said he would negotiate with the Republican leader to hold the vote earlier on Wednesday.