WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate's top Democrat promised Thursday that the chamber would vote in early January on extending jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed.
More than 1 million people are set to be abruptly cut off of federal unemployment benefits averaging less than $300 a week nationwide just three days after Christmas. Another 1.9 million people would miss out on the benefits next year.
Majority Leader Harry Reid promised a vote no later than Jan. 7 on a measure to extend those benefits for three months. He said the number of jobless people out of work for more than six months is far greater than in past economic recoveries.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has said he's open to extending the benefits but only if accompanied by spending cuts elsewhere in the budget to cover the cost. A one-year extension of federal jobless benefits, which generally go to people who have been out of work for more than six months, would cost $25 billion.
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