Finally, A Bipartisan Vote As U.S. Senate Passes Jobs Measure
The U.S. Senate Wednesday passed a $137.9 billion package aimed at
helping jobless people get more benefits and businesses to hire more
workers, but only after controversy about the bill's cost and impact.
The rare bipartisan vote was 62 to 36.
Some experts hailed the measure as an important stimulus.
"We're
starting to talk real money," said Chad Stone, chief economist at the
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal research group.
Conservatives,
however, insisted that the bill's cost was a big, unnecessary price to
pay. It would add an estimated $100 billion or more to the government's
record deficits.
"I can no longer stand by, even on a
bill such as this, and vote for it when it is going to add $100 billion
to the debt," said Sen. George LeMieux, R-Florida.
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