U.S. House passes extra jobless benefits
The U.S. House barely passed an extension of jobless benefits Thursday, a day after the chamber failed to muster the necessary votes.
In Wednesday's unsuccessful vote, New Mexico Republicans Heather Wilson and Steve Pearce opposed extending the jobless benefits, while Democrat Tom Udall supported the measure, according to GovTrack.US. It was unclear how Wilson and Pearce voted on Thursday's bill.
The lowest amount a recipient of jobless benefits in New Mexico can be paid is $66 a week while the highest is $355 a week, said Carrie Moritomo, a spokesperson for the state's Department of Workforce Solutions. She did not immediately know last year's jobless benefits rate for last year. The rates are increased each year.
According to the Washington Post, Thursday's jobless benefits bill "approved an extra three months of jobless benefits for all unemployed Americans, knowing the plan's chances are slight in the Senate and almost nonexistent at the White House."
The Post went on to report:
After failing to get a veto-proof two-thirds margin by three votes on Wednesday, Democrats got an exact two-thirds margin on Thursday with a 274-137 vote _ the amount needed to overcome a threatened presidential veto.
Democrats said they pushed the legislation through to the Senate because Americans need help in a slumping economy.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits last week increased by 25,000 from the week before. The unemployment rate in May jumped to 5.5 percent, up from 5 percent in April. It was the biggest one-month gain in 22 years.
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