The Senate passed its bipartisan unemployment benefits bill, sending it to a wary House

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Senate passed its bipartisan unemployment benefits bill, sending it to a wary House
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Senate approved a bipartisan unemployment benefits extension package late Monday, 59-38, with six Republicans joining all present Democrats in voting for the bill.

The six Republicans who voted in favor included the five who helped spearhead the measure — Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Dean Heller (Nevada), Mark Kirk (Illinois), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and Rob Portman (Ohio) — plus Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.). Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) did not vote.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) railed against the fact that emergency unemployment insurance benefits have been cut off since December. But the bill's fate is uncertain in the House, where Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has argued that the bill costs too much and doesn't do enough to create jobs. A Boehner spokesman says the speaker could support a bill with more unspecified job-creation measures, Roll Call reports, but some House Republicans, including Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), are pushing for the Senate's extension legislation to be brought up this week; if it's not, the measure will be delayed for another two weeks.

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.