December 02, 2010 12:40 AM UTC

Unemployment Benefits Cut Off: Merry Christmas!

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• by: Colorado Pols

We talked about this last time the temporary extension of federal unemployment benefits came up a couple of weeks ago. A temporary agreement was made then to extend them through today, but as AFP reports, no deal was reached by last night’s deadline for a further extension.

So a Charles Dickens Christmas it’ll be for huge numbers of 2012 voters:

Some two million unemployed Americans stand to lose their jobless checks by month’s end, after the US Congress failed to pass a temporary measure that would have extended the benefits.

Efforts to pass legislation to extend the benefits failed to clear either chamber of Congress before the last extension expired at midnight, as the annual Christmas shopping season kicks into full gear.

“Taking away these benefits only places greater strain on out-of-work Americans already struggling to put food on the table especially during this holiday season,” said Democratic Senator Max Baucus, the author of a measure that would have extended the benefits for one year…

Without fresh congressional approval for prolonging benefits, some 800,000 Americans are poised to lose their monthly support checks by the end of next week, while another 1.2 million will lose their benefits at the end of December.

The issue has become a point of contention between congressional Democrats and newly emboldened Republicans, who after sweeping election gains last month insist they they will pass no legislation that could increase an already yawning US budget deficit.

We said before that Republicans “showing leadership” by cutting off unemployment benefits while joblessness remains high is almost certain to carry a heavy political cost for them. While Americans are upset about what they view as excessive spending, the definition of “excessive” doesn’t usually include keeping unemployed people from homelessness and starvation. Furthermore, the political impact of these cuts goes well beyond the direct recipients of unemployment compensation–millions of family members, friends, and others will watch the heart-wrenching stories play out over the holidays, and will know who to blame.