Senator Marco Rubio, who as you probably recall is scheduled to make a “major speech” on poverty tomorrow, voted in favor of filibustering the extension of unemployment insurance today.
The U.S. Senate cleared a vital procedural hurdle moments ago to proceed to a vote on extending unemployment benefits for three months.
Florida Sen. Bill Nelson was part of the 60 member majority, which included a handful of Republicans. Sen. Marco Rubio voted against it. He said the benefit, affecting 1.3 million people at a cost of $6.4 billion, should be offset by other budget cuts.
Rubio not only voted in favor of filibustering extended unemployment insurance, he also favors offsetting it by making cuts in other areas of the budget which would undoubtedly do nothing to end poverty.
What exactly will be in Rubio’s War on Poverty speech? The only thing we know for sure right now is that he’ll call for the repeal of Obamacare. Because kicking millions of people off Medicaid and ending subsidies should help, right?
The final Senate vote on extended unemployment insurance is expected to occur soon, but the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has no plans to move on it.