The Senate remains embroiled in a debate over extending jobless benefits as Republicans push for the legislation to be paid for and Democrats try to vilify the GOP for keeping needy people from getting their unemployment checks.
The Senate has cleared the first big hurdle in passing the $9.2 billion bill with a vote to bring the legislation to the floor. But Republicans were first able to advance their argument that the measure should not add to the nation's $12.8 trillion debt, a view that coincides with the public's growing concern over such spending.
Read More
Republicans successfully blocked President Obama's nominee to join the National Labor Relations Board, flexing their filibuster power for the first time since Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts joints their ranks last week.
Brown voted against seating union lawyer Craig Becker on the NLRB, but so did some Democrats, including Sens. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., and Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., who is facing a tough re-election battle.
The vote was 52-33, with many Senators not voting because they knew the nomination lacked the 60-vote supermajority needed to advance Becker's nomination.
Read More
URL: http://www.sfexaminer.com/archive/54/54?page=15&type[story]=story
