House OKs Jobless Benefits Bill by Veto-Proof Margin

Defying a veto warning from President Bush, the House on Tuesday voted by a veto-proof margin for a $6.3-billion bill to extend unemployment benefits for up to 20 weeks for an estimated 3.5 million long-term jobless Americans.

The measure, approved by a 283-125 vote, was sent to the Senate for possible action this week as Congress moved toward quick approval of its only anti-recession measure of the year. While the Senate also was expected to pass the measure easily, it remained uncertain whether sponsors of the legislation would be able to muster a two-thirds majority necessary to override a veto.

Bush, who signed a similar bill last month but blocked payment of benefits by refusing to declare the jobless situation an emergency justifying a waiver of the budget agreement, was considered certain to veto the new legislation on grounds that the nation is recovering from the year-old business slump.

Democratic congressional leaders, however, said that approval of the House bill by more than a 2-1 bipartisan majority indicated that the President’s perfect 22-0 record on sustaining vetoes might be broken on this legislation.

“A veto is never easy to override but I believe, in this case, the votes will be there,” Speaker Thomas S. Foley (D-Wash.) said at a news conference.

“Nearly 9 million Americans are looking for work, 2 million more than a year ago, and only 37% (of them) are getting unemployment benefits,” Foley added. “These workers have no doubt that an emergency exists.”

The new House majority whip, Rep. David E. Bonior (D-Mich.), scoffed at the Bush Administration’s claims that recovery from the recession was well under way.

“It’s getting worse in California, Michigan and Florida,” Bonior told reporters. “The Administration is ignoring people with mouths to feed and serving them a bunch of baloney.”

Passage of the bill was high on the Democrats’ priority list because they believe Bush’s veto--even if they cannot override it--would give them a political advantage in the 1992 campaign.

Republican opponents in the House, however, said the legislation would add to the budget deficit, violate the pay-as-you-go provisions of the budget agreement and do nothing to create additional jobs.

“I believe Democrats don’t want to end this recession and are trying deliberately to keep people unemployed,” charged Rep. Gerald B.H. Solomon (R-N.Y.). “That is disgraceful.”

“Democrats are the natural party of unemployment and Republicans are the party of employment,” said House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), advocating immediate adoption of tax cuts for investors, home buyers and others to go along with the additional jobless benefits.

Even so, 48 GOP lawmakers joined with 234 Democrats and 1 independent to approve permanent changes in the jobless benefits program to provide either 10, 15 or 20 weeks of extra payments, depending on the severity of unemployment in each state. A total of 107 Republicans and 18 Democrats voted against it.

The margin was 11 votes more than two-thirds of those present and voting--the percentage required to override a veto. Fifteen Democrats and 10 Republicans did not vote, however, as Congress neared a four-day recess on the eve of a Jewish holiday.

Earlier, the House approved a temporary extension of jobless benefits by an overwhelming margin of 375 to 44 with 118 GOP votes. That bill drew more Republican support partly because it gave Bush the option of signing the measure and then blocking extra jobless payments by refusing to declare an emergency as the budget act requires.

The legislation approved Tuesday would provide 10 additional weeks of benefits if a state’s jobless rate averaged 6% or more in the previous six months. In the same way, unemployed persons who exhausted their regular benefits would get up to 15 additional weeks if the total jobless rate was 7% or more, with 20 more weeks of benefits for states with an average unemployment figure of 8% and above in the previous half-year.

Under the regular federal-state program, persons who are covered by unemployment insurance may draw up to 26 weeks of payments. The law now provides for extended benefits only in rare cases--just two states now are eligible for the additional compensation.