Senate Democrats have reached a deal to extend unemployment insurance benefits to workers in every state who are in danger of seeing their benefits run dry in the coming weeks.
The agreement was brokered by New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reid. It would give an additional 14 weeks of benefits to jobless workers in all 50 states. Workers in states with an unemployment rate at 8.5 percent or above would receive six weeks on top of that.
The House last month approved legislation that gives 13 weeks of extended benefits, but only in those 27 states that have unemployment rates of at least 8.5 percent.