Debt limit deal means no unemployment extension

The deal struck by President Obama and the Republican leaders of the U.S. House and Senate protects against cuts for those currently receiving unemployment benefits but it all but ensures that there will not be another extension of those benefits at the end of the year.

The Huffington Post reports:

White House officials confirmed that there would not be an extension of unemployment benefits as part of the final package. The administration had insisted that an extension be part of the grand bargain it was negotiating with Boehner. But when those discussions fell apart, so too did efforts to ensure that unemployment insurance was part of a final package. A senior administration aide added that the president would push for an extension in the months, if not weeks, ahead.

Regardless of the president’s intentions, it is very unlikely that another unemployment extension will be passed by a Congress focused on budget cutting.