Senate Votes to Phase Out Jobless Benefits

The Senate unanimously approved on Wednesday and sent to President Reagan a bill to phase out federal jobless benefits for 339,000 unemployed Americans who otherwise faced an abrupt cutoff of payments this week.

Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) said he was “fairly certain” that President Reagan would sign the $160-million measure, which was passed by a 94-0 vote.

The phase-out bill, approved in the House on Tuesday, enables unemployed workers already receiving benefits as of this week to continue getting their checks after the program expires.

If Reagan were to veto the bill, no checks could be written after Saturday, even if workers had not received the full 14 weeks of checks.

“It’s this bill or nothing,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Bob Packwood (R-Ore.) said before the vote was taken. “It would be unfair to jerk the rug out from under people getting benefits and who expect to receive their full allotment of payments.”

Before passing the phase-out legislation, the Senate rejected two amendments that Packwood said would cause Reagan to veto the bill.

The first amendment, sponsored by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), would have extended the Federal Supplemental Compensation program for six months. It was defeated on a 58-34 vote.

Levin Measure Defeated

The second measure, introduced by Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), would have made it easier for states with high unemployment to qualify for extended state-federal jobless payments. That amendment was rejected on a 62-32 vote.

The Federal Supplemental Compensation Program provides up to 14 weeks of payments to jobless workers who have exhausted their 26 weeks of state benefits. The President wanted to let the 3-year-old program die when it expires Saturday.

The House approved the phase-out plan Tuesday on a voice vote hours after its Ways and Means Committee endorsed it. The rush tactics were necessary so that the bill could be sent to Reagan before the Easter recess begins today.

Under the phase-out plan, unemployed workers already receiving benefits as of this week would continue to get their checks after the program expires.