by Bruce Tyson

Created on: July 02, 2010   Last Updated: July 03, 2010

Finger pointing politicians and struggling unemployed workers and their families are all that the Senate has to show for its effort to approve an unemployment extension. Among the wealthiest Americans, Senators left Washington for a prolonged vacation that is sure to contrast with the daily struggles of the unemployed constituents some say they have abandoned.

Senators failed to extend unemployment benefits in June, leaving a growing number of unemployed workers balancing their job search with an intense struggle for survival. 

In a close pre-recess vote, the Senate failed to muster the support needed to overcome a threatened filibuster of the unemployment benefits package that would have restored payments to about 1.7 million people. Many experts predict that the number of people with expired benefits will near the three million mark by the time Congress reconvenes after an extended July 4th vacation.

Neither the closeness of the recent vote nor the political posturing of politicians as they gear up for weekend news shows promises to provide comfort to the long term unemployed, many of whom have now been without any money at all since the end of May. According to some news reports, about 200,000 workers are dropping from the jobless roll every week because there has been no agreement on the unemployment extension.

At issue, Republicans say, is the escalating federal budget deficit. They are in favor of approving an unemployment benefits extension, but they want to use unspent money from the economic stimulus fund to pay for it. Democrats want to borrow the money to fund the unemployment extension. To the many families facing hunger and potential homelessness, the problem causing senate inaction is likely to be a lack of concern on the part of politicians who have no idea of how the economy has hurt average workers. 

June jobless claims offer little encouragement that the tide will soon turn for American workers. With more than 120,000 jobs hemorrhaged from the economy, the unemployment rate still dropped as more workers are dropped from the statistical labor force. 

The frustration of many Americans appears to be mounting as they increasingly blame Obama for failing to address the economic woes of the nation in spite of the nearly $1 trillion of stimulus package he pushed through Congress. The attribution of the unemployment problem to the Bush regime seems to be losing its ability to satisfy the disgruntled. Obama has been in office for more than a year and a half saying that jobs are his top priority, yet the situation seems to be deteriorating rather than improving.

The spectacle of ultra-rich politicians departing for lavish vacations while millions of Americans are cut off from the only trickle of aid they had is not likely to sit well with many voters, especially the ones who suffer from the Senate's inaction. The senators are expected to resume debate of the unemployment extension upon their return on July 12.

Sources:

"June Job Losses at 125,000, But Jobless Rate Falls to 9.5%." CNBC. July 2, 2010. http://www.cnbc.com/id/38054214 (accessed July 2, 2010).

Ohlemacher, Stephen. "Senate GOP again kills jobless aid extension." Google News. July 1, 2010. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hL KyB9H7lUpiALFVlU7RRJa9-EfwD9GLV5T82 (accessed July 2, 2010).

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