Saturday, the US Senate agreed on a two-month unemployment benefits extension and payroll tax cut that was set to expire on January 1, 2012. The House will need to agree to the 60 day deal in a vote scheduled for Monday. Most House Republicans were against the vote.
Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz said: “House Republicans are furious. . . . It was a chorus of frustration with the Senate. They’re always in punt formation,”said the former college football kicker. “If we want jobs and if we want the economy to grow, we need some stability and predictability. This will make the situation worse, not better.”
Most likely, Congress will be arguing the same thing again in February on unemployment benefits and the payroll tax cut, but for now the benefits will be extended for 60 days.
Democrats have urged members to back the deal that the US Senate made Saturday. Leaders for both parties said they thought the House would agree to the two month extension of unemployment benefits.
The current US unemployment rate is 8.6% and Utah's is currently at 6.4%, according to a report released by the Utah Governor's office on Thursday.
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Sources: Washington Post and Utah.gov
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