13 Republicans and two Independents cross the aisle
Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D) calls it “investing in America.” After a 70-28 vote in the Senate, the $15 billion Democratic jobs bill to stimulate job creation has passed with 55 Democrats, 13 Republicans and two Independents saying yes. Considering just how far the American workforce and their pay day loans have to come, that $15 billion is considered to be “modest in scope,” as the New York Times puts it.
What will the jobs bill do?
Our recent coverage of the jobs bill referenced Fox News, which broke down the $15 billion bill into $13 billion in payroll tax breaks for employers who start hiring workers unemployed for 60 days or more; $35 million for “small business depreciation”; $2 billion for infrastructure bonds; and a highway bill extension.
Bipartisan support suggests it could speed through the House
This is turn would mean that the jobs bill gets to the president’s desk quickly. The only way Americans will be able to stimulate the economy long-term is if they are employed, so the current jobs bill comes at just the right time.
Newly elected Republican Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts – a man who has attracted no small amount of controversy – was vital to the process of pushing the jobs bill through the Senate. While he doesn’t see the jobs bill as being perfect, he understands the importance of obtaining assistance for unemployed Americans as soon as possible. But if the House sends through a version “full of pork, waste, fraud and abuse,” Brown told the Times he’d vote against it. That’s the kind of “progressive Republican” that makes Glenn Beck’s flesh crawl.
Harry Reid is happy about the result
“We have a jobs agenda, not a jobs bill,” the Senate majority leader told the media. “We’re going to have more votes, and create more jobs.”
At this point, any opportunity – from astrophysicist to payday lender – is a good opportunity.
