WASHINGTON, June 30 (UPI) -- An extension of jobless benefits for millions stalled in Washington, but could find enough votes to pass this week, Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., said.
An extension to unemployment benefits is needed by July 2 or millions will have their unemployment checks cut, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
Levin, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said, "We haven't given up on job creation for one second. It will pass."
Democrats pared down a larger spending bill by cutting out $16 billion in allocations to state governments to extend unemployment benefits for six months, but the bill failed to muster enough votes, leaving Democrats to try a second time using rules that only require a majority, rather than approval by two-thirds of House members.
The new spending measure includes a three-month extension to an $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit.
If it passes, it goes to the Senate, where Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, has called for an extension to jobless benefits. Two other Republican votes would be needed to pass the bill, and where those might come from is uncertain, the Times said.
