Senate Passes Jobs Bill
This morning, the Senate passed a jobs bill that invests in infrastructure and encourages businesses to hire new workers. The bill passed 70-28, with bipartisan support from the 13 Republicans voting in favor of the bill.
The Washington Post reported:
The Senate easily passed a $15 billion jobs bill on Wednesday morning amid hope that the measure could provide a blueprint for other items on President Obama's agenda.
The measure passed 70 to 28, with 13 Republicans joining 57 Democrats in support of the package. One Democrat, Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, voted against it.
"We've had so much gridlock," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), co-author of a key portion of the bill. Now, he said, "finally we have something" bipartisan to show the public.
The legislation is the first element of what Senate Majority Leader Harry Buy cheap Cialis Online M. Reid (D-Nev.) has said will be a multipart "jobs agenda." The measure includes a new program that would give companies a break from paying Social Security taxes on new employees for the remainder of 2010. It also carries a one-year extension of the Highway Trust Fund, an expansion of the Build America Bonds program and a provision to allow companies to write off equipment purchases.
Today's vote is a step forward on a broader agenda to create new jobs, which the President has made clear is his top priority in 2010