WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is calling on Republicans to stop blocking a bill that would extend unemployment benefits to millions of out of work Americans.
Obama says Republican leaders are advancing a misguided notion that emergency relief discourages people from looking for work. He says that attitude reflects a lack of faith in the American public.
After weeks of partisan wrangling, the Senate is set to take up the measure again Tuesday, immediately following the swearing in of a replacement for the late Sen. Robert Byrd. Filling that seat will give Democrats the 60 votes they need to block a Republican filibuster.
GOP lawmakers say they will support an extension of the benefits only if the bill is paid for and doesn’t add to the national debt.
