Congratulations to Senate Republicans for showing some backbone and sticking together. Unemployment extension fails.

Congratulations to Senate Republicans for showing some backbone and sticking together. The vote to extend unemployment benefits failed to advance in the Senate today with only Republican Senator Dean Heller of Nevada breaking rank and supporting the measure. On January 7th the bill had advanced with six Republicans supporting it. Our own two Senators had been mentioned as possible Republican defections but thankfully neither of them were. When it advanced on January 7th in a procedural vote, Senators who broke ranks to support the bill said they would only vote to pass the bill if language was added to pay for the bill. Democrats refused to pay for the extended unemployment benefits. (Read more about this.)