Technology Slice Blog

Federal Unemployment Extension Deal - President Obama said Monday night that an agreement had been reached with the Republican leadership to extend both the Bush tax cuts and federal unemployment benefits. The Bush tax cuts, including the cuts for the richest taxpayers, would be extended by two years; federal unemployment benefits would be extended until the end of 2011. The deal also evidently extends some of the tax breaks in last year’s stimulus package. Democrats reacted to this announcement with mostly disappointment. Rep. Anthony Weiner criticized Obama for “punting on third down” and failing to use his office to lobby for a more progressive package that would have extended the unemployment benefits and all the tax cuts except those for the wealthiest taxpayers. What continues to be obvious is the internal incoherence of the Republicans’ positions on the subject: Position 1: We support extending unemployment benefits but only if an extension is offset by budget cuts so i...

Federal Unemployment Extension Likely - After a weekend of political posturing, both Democrats and Republicans are indicating a deal to temporarily extend the Bush-era tax cuts and federal unemployment benefits is imminent. According to a story in the New York Times, a deal could be announced as soon as midweek. It's thought that the deal will temporarily extend Bush-era tax cuts for two years and federal unemployment benefits for one year. Republicans have been opposed to extending federal unemployment benefits without offsetting the cost, but the WSJ is reporting that a GOP aide said "there may be some 'buckle' on that point in the interest of getting the deal done." Democrats are also pushing for the deal to include extensions of stimulus provisions that provided tax cuts to working-class Americans. Without the extension of those provisions, 95 percent of Americans would pay higher taxes next year, a White House official said. The White House has been...

Federal Unemployment Extension - Without an extension of federal unemployment benefits, beginning this week, 1,100 unemployed people a day in Michigan will stop getting unemployment checks — 168,520 by the end of April, reports the Michigan League for Human Services (MLHS). Federal unemployment benefits expire Dec. 1. Without an extension, those who lost their jobs after June 2010 will receive only 26 weeks of unemployment benefits. Congress may try to pass an extension of unemployment benefits later this month, but its passage is far from certain, even though Congress has never before failed to extend benefits when the nation's unemployment rate remains so high. "These unemployment extensions are especially important to Michigan because of our high unemployment rate. If Congress prematurely ends unemployment support to tens of thousands of families and with few jobs available, it will put a terrible strain on the private and public safety nets," said Judy Putnam,...