Sixteen Democratic governors, not including Gov. Mike Beebe of Arkansas, have written congressional leaders urging the full renewal of extended unemployment benefits Jan. 1, along with payroll tax cuts.
House Republicans — who claim they really care about workers — don’t care much about unemployed ones. They want to limit unemployment benefits.
UPDATE: Beebe’s spokesman, Matt DeCample, said that when Beebe was asked about signing the letter that the method of paying for the benefits was uncertain — perhaps a surtax on the wealthy or perhaps cuts in spending that could “impact Arkansas negatively.”
“Without a clear picture of which way it was going to go, he didn’t want to sign a letter on a proposal that could potentially hurt vulnerable Arkansans,” DeCample said. He said Beebe would have supported paying for the benefits with an increased tax on the wealthy.