While Democrats managed to invoke cloture on a bill to extend unemployment benefits, Republicans have delayed a final vote on the bill by deciding to use all 30 hours of debate, a move a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called a declaration of war on unemployed Americans.
"Republicans are declaring an all-out war on unemployed Americans," said Reid spokesman Jim Manley. "Even though Democrats have the votes to give unemployed workers the safety net they deserve, Republicans are callously delaying the vote for an entire day."
Democrats had hoped to hold a final vote on the legislation Tuesday night, but the move by Republicans will delay the vote until about 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
"If Republicans want to delay this vote until nine o'clock tonight and play politics on the backs of out-of-work Americans, that's their sad choice," Manley said. "One way or another, Democrats will make sure this safety net reaches the people who need it."
Reid himself also lashed out at Republicans in a speech on the Senate floor on Wednesday, saying that the decision by the GOP brings "shame" to the Senate.
"But more than that, it hurts the very people we were sent here to help," Reid said. "Why would someone in public service do such a thing? Why would they be so callous? M. President, I simply don't know. I am at a loss."
Reiterating a recent Democratic theme, Reid accused Republicans of trying to turn an economic crisis into a political opportunity at the expense of middle class Americans.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs also weighed in on the delay, saying, "The livelihoods of nearly 3 million Americans shouldn't hinge on partisan game playing in Washington."
"This latest move gives the partisan minority thirty more hours to stall in the Senate, but that means thirty more hours of suffering for these hardworking families trying to get by," he added.
The Senate voted 60-40 on Tuesday to end debate on the bill, with Sens. Olympia Snow, R-Maine, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, the only Republicans to vote in favor of the bill. The bill retroactively extends the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program that expired at the end of May through November 2010.
Republicans successfully blocked passage of the unemployment benefits extension several times, arguing that the bill's $34 billion price tag should be offset by cuts in other areas.
"Republicans support extending benefits to the unemployed," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ken., said Tuesday. "What we do not support — and we make no apologies for — is borrowing tens of billions of dollars to pass this bill at a time when the national debt is spinning completely out of control."
He added, "That's why Republicans have proposed an alternative bill five times that would enable us to extend these benefits without adding a nickel to the debt — a bill Democrats have repeatedly rejected."
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.