Lancet Jades
05-13-2004, 10:47 PM
Cantwell's jobless bill fails by 1 vote
This story was published Wednesday, May 12th, 2004
By Les Blumenthal Herald Washington, D.C., bureau
WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Tuesday rejected by a single vote Sen. Maria Cantwell's amendment to provide extended federal unemployment benefits to 47,000 Washington workers and more than 1 million others nationwide.
The vote came as the chamber moved toward passage of a $170 billion corporate tax bill that would benefit Boeing, Microsoft and other U.S. exporters and help defuse a mounting trade dispute with the European Union.
Cantwell, D-Wash., sought to attach her amendment to the tax bill, but the Republican-controlled Senate rejected it on a 59-40 vote. The amendment required 60 votes to overcome objections it violated budget guidelines.
"It's really disappointing," said Cantwell, who has repeatedly over the past several months sought to convince the Senate to extend the benefits.
Cantwell said she ran into a Republican leadership that was determined to defeat her amendment. She said she hadn't decided what comes next.
"It took a lot to get this vote, to get the momentum," she said.
The only senator who missed the vote was Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who was campaigning in Kentucky. But the decisive vote against the amendment was apparently cast by Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., who had earlier told Cantwell he supported extending federal unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks.
During debate, Republicans insisted the additional benefits weren't needed because the economy was recovering, unemployment was down and 900,000 new jobs had been created since the first of the year.
"The economy is strong, the recovery is real and no amount of political rhetoric can change that," said Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah.
But Cantwell scolded her colleagues for backing corporate tax cuts while forgetting about American workers who have lost their jobs. Cantwell said the tax bill would provide $3 billion in tax credits for the oil and gas industry, $2.3 billion for the coal industry, $451 for bourbon distillers, $233 for cruise ship companies and $4 million for archery manufacturers.
Nationwide, Cantwell said, more than 1.5 million workers had exhausted their unemployment benefits since December.
"They are going into bankruptcy, defaulting on their mortgages, they aren't able to afford health insurance," said Cantwell. "Where are the priorities of my colleagues?"
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Lol, the idiot Kerry didnt vote. What does he have to say to that?
"Oh, I didn't vote, true. But it's all Bush's fault I didn't! I was too busy bashing him in my campaign."
This story was published Wednesday, May 12th, 2004
By Les Blumenthal Herald Washington, D.C., bureau
WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Tuesday rejected by a single vote Sen. Maria Cantwell's amendment to provide extended federal unemployment benefits to 47,000 Washington workers and more than 1 million others nationwide.
The vote came as the chamber moved toward passage of a $170 billion corporate tax bill that would benefit Boeing, Microsoft and other U.S. exporters and help defuse a mounting trade dispute with the European Union.
Cantwell, D-Wash., sought to attach her amendment to the tax bill, but the Republican-controlled Senate rejected it on a 59-40 vote. The amendment required 60 votes to overcome objections it violated budget guidelines.
"It's really disappointing," said Cantwell, who has repeatedly over the past several months sought to convince the Senate to extend the benefits.
Cantwell said she ran into a Republican leadership that was determined to defeat her amendment. She said she hadn't decided what comes next.
"It took a lot to get this vote, to get the momentum," she said.
The only senator who missed the vote was Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who was campaigning in Kentucky. But the decisive vote against the amendment was apparently cast by Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., who had earlier told Cantwell he supported extending federal unemployment benefits for an additional 13 weeks.
During debate, Republicans insisted the additional benefits weren't needed because the economy was recovering, unemployment was down and 900,000 new jobs had been created since the first of the year.
"The economy is strong, the recovery is real and no amount of political rhetoric can change that," said Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah.
But Cantwell scolded her colleagues for backing corporate tax cuts while forgetting about American workers who have lost their jobs. Cantwell said the tax bill would provide $3 billion in tax credits for the oil and gas industry, $2.3 billion for the coal industry, $451 for bourbon distillers, $233 for cruise ship companies and $4 million for archery manufacturers.
Nationwide, Cantwell said, more than 1.5 million workers had exhausted their unemployment benefits since December.
"They are going into bankruptcy, defaulting on their mortgages, they aren't able to afford health insurance," said Cantwell. "Where are the priorities of my colleagues?"
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Lol, the idiot Kerry didnt vote. What does he have to say to that?
"Oh, I didn't vote, true. But it's all Bush's fault I didn't! I was too busy bashing him in my campaign."