Senate Fails To Move Emergency Unemployment Compensation Forward 55-45, but Republican Constituents are Catching On that their Representatives Don't Care About Them

 Senate Republicans Move the Goal Posts and Deny 1.3 Million Americans Extended Unemployment Compensation, But Constituents are Starting to Realize It

Chart by www.cbpp.org

Well, the Senate failed to move the Emergency Unemployment Compensation bill forward because they couldn't get Republicans to vote for helping 1.3 million Americans in dire need of help.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has struggled to attract Republican votes as the GOP – still fuming about a rules change he pushed that diminishes their filibuster power – moved the goalposts on what it would take for GOP lawmakers to support an extension of the program.

Two procedural votes on different variations on an extension failed Tuesday afternoon, sending lawmakers back the drawing table.

 How can Republicans say they give an iota about Americans that are struggling?  At first, Senate Republicans said they would not support the extended benefits if it were not paid for. Then, after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid rounded up Democratic AND Republican proposals on how they would pay for an extension for varying lengths of time, the Republicans starting complaining about not being able to offer amendments to the legislation, therefore "moving the goalposts."

 Reid proposed a number of deals that would allow the Republicans to make amendments with 60 votes, as long as final passage of the bill would require only a majority of 51 votes. Minority leader Mitch McConnell rejected them immediately. The Republicans want a system where the minority of the senate that opposes unemployment insurance benefits gets both an amendment process where they can offer these poison pill amendments and then the minority of the Senate that opposes the bill can still kill the bill.”

 It outrages me that the Republicans/TeaPublicans really don't care what real people are going through so they can win political points. They don't have to worry about where their next meal, next tank of oil to heat there home, or tank of gas is coming from.

Republican Constituents Starting to Realize Their Politicians Don't Really Care About Them

 The PBS NewsHour.org reports that "Hardly a liberal bastion, El Paso County, in Colorado, has the largest number of people in the state who lost unemployment benefits, and many aren't happy about it. Plenty of Republicans, too, depend on jobless aid that Republicans in Congress are hesitant to prolong. The ideological argument for standing against an extension of benefits -- that the aid can ultimately make it harder to find work -- meets a more complex reality where people live.

 Democrats propose to extend the emergency benefits for people who have been or are about to be out of work for more than six months; Republicans are less inclined to take that step, particularly if it means the government borrows more money. The paralysis led to the expiration of benefits for 1.3 million long-term unemployed on Dec. 28. Lawmakers are still working on a compromise."

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Republicans Need to Get in Touch With the People, and Reality

 The  TeaPublican run Republican Party needs to get in touch with reality. They don't understand that the 1.3 million Americans who have now received their last unemployment check are in desperate need of assistance. On average, the $237.00 a week was allowing those families just barely enough to scrape by, and now they've taken that away. You can't tell me that with corporate subsidies reaching $154B last year that they can't find the $6B it would take to extend the benefits that these families so desperately need. Wake up people, this is real, not a game. How far can people be pushed to their limit? What happens now, when the recipients of those benefits can't put anymore food on the table, gas in the car? And no, their not what a number of Republicans have said this week, lazy!

Please contact your Senators through GovTrack.us and tell them to stop playing games with peoples lives, they will hit their limit, it's not right.

Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 H.R. 3746, S 1737, H.R. 1010, S 460 - Time To Do YOUR Part

Active "Minimum Wage" Bills in the House and Senate

Photo by www.classwarfareexists.com

H.R. 3746 - The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 

H.R. 3746 was introduced and referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce by Rep. John Larson (D-CT1) on December 12, 2013. The bill doesn't have any co-sponsors at this time. GovTrack.us predicts the bill has a 2% chance of getting past committee and a 0% chance of being enacted. The text of the bill was made available today by GovTrack.us and is summarized below;

Section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) is amended to read as follows:

(1)

except as otherwise provided in this section, not less than—

(A)

$8.50 an hour, beginning on the first day of the third month that begins after the date of enactment of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 Act;

(B)

$10.00 an hour, beginning 1 year after that first day;

(C)

$11.00 an hour, beginning 2 years after that first day; and

(D)

beginning on the date that is 3 years after that first day, and annually thereafter, the amount determined by the Secretary pursuant to subsection (h);

S 1737 - Minimum Wage Fairness Act

S 1737 is a Senate bill related to the other "Minimum Wage" bills. This bill was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Thomas "Tom" Harkin (D-IA) on November 19, 2013 and reported to committee on November 20, 2013, the bill only has 1 co-sponsor at this time. GovTrack predicting a 20% chance of  and referred to committee on November 20, 2013 with the following text;

Section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 ( 29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1) ) is amended to read as follows:

(1)

except as otherwise provided in this section, not less than—

(A)

$8.20 an hour, beginning on the first day of the sixth month that begins after the date of enactment of the Minimum Wage Fairness Act ;

(B)

$9.15 an hour, beginning 1 year after that first day;

(C)

$10.10 an hour, beginning 2 years after that first day; and

(D)

beginning on the date that is 3 years after that first day, and annually thereafter, the amount determined by the Secretary pursuant to subsection (h);

H.R. 1010  - Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013

H.R. 1010 was introduced and referred to committee on March 6, 2013 by Rep. George Miller (D-CA11) and has 154 co-sponsors. GovTrack.us predicts a 7% of getting past committee and a 2% of being enacted. The bill calls for the following;

 

Section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) is amended to read as follows:

(1)

except as otherwise provided in this section, not less than—

(A)

$8.20 an hour, beginning on the first day of the third month that begins after the date of enactment of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 Act;

(B)

$9.15 an hour, beginning 1 year after that first day;

(C)

$10.10 an hour, beginning 2 years after that first day; and

(D)

beginning on the date that is 3 years after that first day, and annually thereafter, the amount determined by the Secretary pursuant to subsection (h);

S 460  - Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013

S 460 was introduced by Sen. Thomas "Tom" Harkin on March 5, 2013 and referred to committee on March 6, 2013. It is related specifically to H.R. 1010. It has 32 co-sponsors and GovTrack.us predicts it has a 14% chance of getting past committee and a 2% chance of being enacted. The text of the bill is as follows:

Section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938(29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)) is amended to read as follows:

(1)

except as otherwise provided in this section, not less than—

(A)

$8.20 an hour, beginning on the first day of the third month that begins after the date of enactment of the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 Act;

(B)

$9.15 an hour, beginning 1 year after that first day;

(C)

$10.10 an hour, beginning 2 years after that first day; and

(D)

beginning on the date that is 3 years after that first day, and annually thereafter, the amount determined by the Secretary pursuant to subsection (h);

Now is time to e-mail of call your Congressmen/women and U.S. Senators. Below is a GovTrack link for each bill that allows you to (1) track the bill; and (2) call your Representative. The site will find YOUR  Congressmen/women and Senators and even connect you to their Washington, DC offices. Please utilize these links now to contact your Representatives and tell them to RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE!

Call YOUR Congressmen/women for H.R. 3746 

Call YOUR U.S. Senators for S 1737 

Call YOUR Congressmen/women for H.R. 1010 

Call YOUR U.S. Senators for S 460 

Get Involved for a Better America. Make your voice heard. When people pull together they have influence. Don't let only the ultra-rich, corporations, and Super PACS be the only influence on our politicians and elections.

Senate To Vote On Budget Tomorrow - Here's An Easy Way To Send A Letter To YOUR Senators

 Use Open Congress to Send YOUR Senators a Letter on H.J. Res 59 (the Budget Agreement)

I just sent a letter to my U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand about the budget that will be voted on tomorrow, in the Senate.

To send a similar letter that's already prepared use this link: Open Congress Bill H.J. Res 59 Open Congress will send a letter to YOUR Senators with just a few clicks or taps.


Here is the letter I sent, but Open Congress already has a form letter prepared and will find and send your letter to YOUR Senators.
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Dear Senators:

I am writing as your constituent in the 1st Congressional district of New York. I support H.J.Res.59 - Budget agreement bill, and am tracking it using OpenCongress.org, the free public resource website for government transparency and accountability.

I support Amendment 1 to H.J. Res 59, the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 (as engrossed by Senate) because although it does not effect 88% of the Federal Budget it does allow our legislators to work on other issues important to the American people. Not having to worry about another shutdown for 2 years is a positive thing. Now let's get to work on Immigration, Tax Reform, Campaign Finance Reform, Jobs, Infrastructure, the Farm Bill (without taking another $39B from food stamps,) Women's Rights, implementing Dodd-Frank, Voter ID Laws, Minimum Wage/Living Wage, Income Inequality, etc., etc., etc.

Sincerely,
John A Smith
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From POPVOX:

• The budget deal is a tradeoff for both parties. For Democrats, the budget doesn't allow for an extension of emergency unemployment benefits, but it does include new revenues, in the form of various fees. For Republicans, the budget deal doesn't include entitlements, but it avoids an income tax hike, and it cuts the budget deficit further than if no deal had been reached.
• It also restores $63 billion in spending that was due to be cut by the sequester, something that will put most members of both parties at ease. While deficit hawk Republicans oppose the deal for this reason, many other Republicans had clearly become uneasy with the idea of another round of cuts across all discretionary accounts in the government, which includes defense.

 
 Please feel free to leave a comment, I answer all comments.
 
 
 

I Just Used GovTrack.us to Contact My Senators to Let Them Know I Support H.R 2061, Check Out How EASY it is To Contact YOUR Senators

I just called my two Senators to let them know that I support H.R. 2061, the Digital Transparency and Accountability Act. It was really easy using GovTrack.us If you want to be heard click on this link, Click Here to go to GovTrack.us then at the top of the page click on "Call your Senators." Enter your address and they'll find your Senators for you. Then for each Senator, enter your phone number next to "Call Me," button, your phone will ring almost immediately. When you answer they will tell you which Senator they are automatically connecting you to. and you will be connected to your Senators office. They even have a script to follow! The exact wording to use, if you want to, right there on the monitor. It's a great way to let you contact your Representatives and let them know how you feel.

You can then track your Senators and Congressmen/women, and see what legislation is upcoming and track those bills that you are interested in. Try it, I think you'll like it. 

Senator Chuck Schumer Keeps Backround Cecks Alive and is Optimistic It Can Pass By The Midterm Elections

Thank You Senator Chuck Schumer

I received an update on one of the Senators that represent me and all New Yorkers from VoteSmart.org this morning. I believe in giving credit when it is warranted since I criticize when when they do something wrong or are inactive.

This is a link to the actual update I received from VoteSmart.org Update on Senator Chuck Schumer from VoteSmart.org

I e-mailed my senator and then posted it on my Facebook account (Mdic3569) and on my Facebook page www.Facebook.com/StoptheObstructionistTeaParty, here is a link to the post: Post on Facebook

Keep up the good work Chuck!