Senators have defeated a procedural (cloture) motion on the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act (H.R. 4213) by a vote of 57-41. Sixty votes were needed to adopt the motion and limit debate on the bill.
This is the third version that Senators have tried to insert into the House measure. Democrats argue that it’s fully paid for with the exception of unemployment benefit extensions, which they see as emergency spending. Republicans are opposing any deficit spending.
Democrats need Republican votes to pass this bill. One key member they tried to sway, Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME), “on Thursday explained to reporters how Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) apparently did not follow through on a promise he made to her concerning stripping some tax provisions from the so-called tax extenders bill,” according to The Hill.
Snowe had concerns over how the bill taxed S corporations and how it levied retroactive taxes on certain organizations. According to her, Reid promised to take those measures out of the bill, but when the third iteration of the package was presented to her those modifications were not made.
“They told me it was going to be taken out and then last night, subsequently, they inserted it back in,” she said, adding that she “spent countless hours” negotiating with Senate Democratic leaders trying to modify the bill so that she could support it.
She instructed Democrats to move a stand alone doc fix that was paid for and extend unemployment insurance as its own bill.
Summary and text of the modified bill are here.
Meanwhile, Congressional Quarterly on what might be next:
If the vote fails, Reid will yank the extenders bill and move to a small-business “jobs bill” that is being crafted by the Small Business and Finance committees, he said. That move would likely invite an amendment from Republicans on reviving the estate tax in a way that is more generous to heirs. Democrats would then draw pointed contrasts between Republican policy positions on helping low-income families and the unemployed and their approach to the very wealthiest Americans.
(credit image – publicradio.org)
Congress in Your Pocket
S E N A T U S 
This is the biggest bunch of crap ever. Reid is more interested in kissing the butts of the wealthy, like himself, than jump forward and get a bill passed to help the long term unemployed. He has NO conscience whatsoever. Unemployment should not be connected to tax breaks for the damn wealthy. For Gods sake can’t he and a few others have any compassion? Furthermore, the unemployment is not getting better or going down. People are running out of benefits you morons so they don’t show up on any idiotic statistics.
I agree with you. We have got to figure out another way to get through to those thick skulls in Washington D.C.. Obama could if he wanted to sign papers to pass the senate and congress to get us our unemployment.But he also chooses not to do anything.I just pray that some day they are in our shoes and see how it feels
as expected,
Dingy Harry delivers.
Trying to backstab a Repub counterpart that WAS willing to sign on, he probably lost that vote for good while setting the bill a little closer to failure.
Great politicing there Harry. Sure, as we loose homes, warm up our eat mac & cheese and sit up all night wondering how to keep the lites on, Please keep playing games with the Replubicans.
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THERE IS NO COMPASSION, THE REPUBLICANS APPARENTLY SEE THE UNEMPLOYED AS NONVOTERS, OR VOTERS WHO IN THEIR WORLD DO NOT COUNT FOR MUCH… BUT WE WILL REMEMBER, BUT WHEN THE ECONOMY TAKES A FURTHER DUMP REMEMBER YOUR PRECIOUS DOLLARS TO US DID PAY FOR HOUSING, FOOD, MEDICAL AND WHAT EVER ELSE WE COULD SQUEEZE OUT OF IT, NOW THERE IS NOT EVEN THAT. MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND MAY YOU SLEEP WELL KNOWING THAT MONEY WAS REALLY THE ONLY LIFELINE WE HAD, OUR CHILDREN THANK YOU TOO, WHAT KIND OF WORLD TO WE LIVE IN WHERE THE MUST VULNERABLE ARE ALWAYS THE TARGET. WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR A HANDOUT, JUST FAIRNESS