PoliticsPoliticsUnemployment ExtensionNancy Pelosi

Somewhat Hopeless Bipartisan Unemployment Bill Introduced In House

Somewhat Hopeless Bipartisan Unemployment Bill Introduced In House
Arthur Delaney
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CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 04: Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks to supporters at Teamster City during the final stop of a bus tour on June 4, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. The 'When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: Women on a Roll' bus tour has travelled from Seneca Falls, New York to Chicago highlighting policy changes important to working women. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives trumpeted new bipartisan legislation to revive benefits for the long-term unemployed on Thursday.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has already signaled his lack of interest in jobless aid, but House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) urged Boehner to let the bill get a vote anyway.

"It is unconscionable that Republicans have refused to renew this essential support for hard working Americans who lost their jobs through no fault of their own," Pelosi said in a statement.

The legislation, by Reps. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) and Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.), is a companion to similar bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate earlier this week. While there's some chance the Senate could pass the measure -- the upper chamber approved similar legislation in April -- Boehner has remained obstinate.

The bill would restore long-term unemployment compensation that Congress allowed to lapse in December. Federal benefits go to workers who exhaust state-funded compensation without finding work. State benefits usually last six months, though some states offer fewer weeks.

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Before You Go

Out-Of-Touch Politicians
Rudy Giuliani And The Price Of Milk(01 of11)
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While running for president in 2007, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told a reporter at a Montgomery, Ala., supermarket that he estimates "a gallon of milk is probably about a $1.50, a loaf of bread about a $1.25, $1.30, last time I bought one." It must have been a few election cycles since his last trip: The grocery store's website listed milk for $3.38 and bread up to $3.49. (credit:AP)
Dan Quayle And Single Mothers(02 of11)
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During George H.W. Bush's reelection campaign in 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle scoffed at the "Murphy Brown situation," referring to a television character who had a child out of wedlock. Quayle called the Brown story "totally unreal," adding, "A highly paid professional woman [with a baby] ... give me a break." (credit:AP)
Martha Coakley And Shaking Hands(03 of11)
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In a display of aloofness that many political observers say led to her defeat by Republican Scott Brown, Democratic Senate candidate and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley erred in brushing off the idea of ramping up her campaigning. When asked whether she was being too apathetic, she referenced one of Brown's ads and fired back, "As opposed to standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold? Shaking hands?" (credit:AP)
Spiro Agnew And Poor Neighborhoods(04 of11)
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Republican vice presidential candidate Spiro Agnew, branded as Richard Nixon's go-to guy on cities, vowed in 1968 to avoid poor neighborhoods. "If you've seen one slum, you've seen them all," Agnew said. (credit:AP)
Gerald Ford And Tamales(05 of11)
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While visiting the Alamo in 1976, President Gerald Ford bit into a tamale through the husk, a faux pas later deemed the "Great Tamales Incident." (credit:AP)
George H.W. Bush And Grocery Scanners(06 of11)
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President George H.W. Bush caught flak for appearing awed by a supermarket check-out scanner while touring a grocers convention in 1992. It turned out the president was being shown a new bar code technology, and the convention worker who was alongside Bush later said it's "foolish to think the president doesn't know anything about grocery stores. He knew exactly what I was talking about." (credit:AP)
George W. Bush And Gas Prices(07 of11)
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In 2008, President George W. Bush said he had not heard predictions that gas prices could soon hit $4 a gallon. At the time, the national average was $3.29 a gallon. (credit:AP)
John Kerry And Cheese Steak(08 of11)
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In 2003, Democratic presidential contender John Kerry ordered Swiss cheese on a cheese steak while campaigning in South Philadelphia, straying from the traditional favorite topping, Cheez Whiz. (credit:AP)
Michael Dukakis And The Tank(09 of11)
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Democratic presidential contender Michael Dukakis tried to one-up Republican opponent George H.W. Bush on national defense by striking a pose in an M1 Abrams tank. (credit:AP)
Mitt Romney And Wawa(10 of11)
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Mitt Romney has had his fair share of seemingly out-of-touch statements this election cycle, admitting he likes to "fire people" and expressing amazement at the touchscreen ordering system at convenience store Wawa. (credit:AP)
Barack Obama And The Private Sector(11 of11)
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President Barack Obama is not exempt from the "gotcha" moment. In June, he described the private sector economy as "doing fine." The gaffe immediately elicited comparisons with his 2008 Republican opponent, John McCain, who said that the "fundamentals of the economy are strong" in the midst of a crippling financial crisis. (credit:AP)
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