Republicans might block jobs bill

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/02/18/gop-lobby-block/

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/81667-reid-short-the-votes-on-15b-jobs-bill


Sen. Reid doesn't have the votes to pass $15 billion version of jobs legislation
By Jay Heflin - 02/17/10 02:31 PM ET

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) lacks the votes to begin debating his targeted jobs bill, according to sources monitoring the legislation.

Reid needs 60 votes to open debate on the $15 billion jobs bill. The vote is scheduled for Monday, when lawmakers return from the Presidents Day recess.

“I understand Reid does not have the votes for cloture on Monday on his jobs bill,” one source said.

A Reid spokesman said the vote is in the hands of Republicans. Democrats have 59 senators in their conference.

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The centerpiece to Reid’s bill is a $13 billion tax credit employers can claim for hiring employees who have been out of work for more than 60 days. But not all Democratic senators support the initiative.

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) has raised the concern that a shortage in customer demand could render the tax break useless.

“There’s a question of whether that puts the cart before the horse,” said Nelson. “If I don’t have enough customers for my product, hiring more people is not going to help and tax credits are not going to be to my advantage.”

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, has noted the Congressional Budget Office's estimate that extending unemployment insurance would create more jobs than providing tax credits to employers who hire new workers.

A spokeswoman for the majority leader said her boss would extend unemployment insurance before its expiration by the end of the month. Lobbyists see this as the best vehicle for advancing many of the provisions in the Baucus-Grassley jobs proposal put aside by Reid.

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