CNN 2010-03-06

So how's this for an example of "Broken Government"? No more time, no more money. And if you're depending on unemployment benefits to get by, forget about it.

Christine Romans joining me now live from New York.

Not good news, Christine.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, it's not good news for, frankly¹, millions of people here.

Kyra, normally -- in normal times if you're out of work you can apply for an unemployment insurance and you get 26 weeks of unemployment benefits on average. But now because of so many extensions in this great recession, not normal times, you can get up to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits.

And this federal extension, the most recent federal extension, is slated² to run out today. As of today. And on Friday, a lone³ senator, Jim Bunning from Kentucky, did not vote -- to help another extension go through. Actually a roadblock to that extension.

So you have 1.2 million people in March will lose their federal unemployment benefits extension. Five million by June. This is according to the National Employment Law Project.

There are 11.5 million people right now, Kyra, receiving unemployment benefits. Some of them for many, many months. On average there's some $400 and some a week that people are getting, and for many people who've been out of work for six months or more, this is how they are feeding their families.

So this is a pretty critical time for many people who are looking for those unemployment benefits to be extended. And they haven't yet. COBRA health insurance, as well. There's -- you might not know this, but taxpayers⁴, you and I are helping⁵ pay the premiums⁶ for people who are out of work. People who are out of work, 65 percent of their premiums for their COBRA health insurance are paid by taxpayers. That also died on Friday in the Senate as well.

Now here's a little bit of glimmer⁷ of hope here. Some of the Republicans are signaling and suggesting that they may be open to a patch, some kind of a near-term fix, but the longer term, since we've had so many extensions already, they want to have a big discussion, Kyra, about how we're going to pay for this. It doesn't come for free.

How are we going to pay for it? If it's so important to keep people getting these checks, then they want to know where we're going to get the money and are we going to take the money from someplace else.

So that's where we stand here right now. Looks like there could be some movement on this this week. Of course, no one's going to get backup checks for that. This is sort of lost time for those people who will not be able to get a federal check. So this is literally⁸ millions of people -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, and the Senator Jim Bunning is the one right there that's voting against it, has a lot of people angry, and everyone is trying to talk to him and we haven't heard a peep yet. So we're still working that.

Christine Romans, thanks.

ROMANS: And he's taking a fiscal⁹ stance, you know. He's saying if it's so important, tell me how are we going to pay for it. What are we going to take from someplace else to pay for it? But other Republicans are signaling that they might be ready to move forward -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, Christine.

 

1 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

2 slated   

用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Yuki is working up an in-home phonics program slated for Thursdays, and I'm drilling her on English conversation at dinnertime. Yuki每周四还有一次家庭语音课。我在晚餐时训练她的英语口语。
• Bromfield was slated to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 布罗姆菲尔德被提名为美国农业部长。

3 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

4 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 premiums   

n.费用( premium的名词复数 )；保险费；额外费用；（商品定价、贷款利息等以外的）加价

参考例句：

• He paid premiums on his life insurance last year. 他去年付了人寿保险费。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. 现正在酝酿提高汽车的保险费。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 glimmer   

v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光

参考例句：

• I looked at her and felt a glimmer of hope.我注视她，感到了一线希望。
• A glimmer of amusement showed in her eyes.她的眼中露出一丝笑意。

8 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

9 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。