House passes unemployment benefits but it is stalled until after recess

The House easily passed a bill Thursday to extend unemployment benefits through November but the vote didn't mean much because the Senate has already adjourned for the July 4 recess. 

The nearly $34 billion measure passed on a 270-153 vote with 29 Republicans voting 'yes' while 11 Democrats opposed it, five fewer than those who voted 'no' when the bill failed to gain two-thirds majority under suspension of the rules on Tuesday. 

The bill is sent to the Senate, which returns July 12 from the break, and won't be voted on again until someone has been appointed to the seat of Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), who died earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Wednesday. 

The continued political battle over the bill means more than 1.7 million will lose their extended benefits -- up to 99 weeks in some states with high unemployment -- by Friday. Those numbers will rise to more than 2.1 million before Congress returns from recess and more than 3.2 million if the extension isn't done before the end of the month. 

All but one of the Democrats are members of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition. The 10 Blue Dogs were: Reps. Marion Berry (Ark.), Jim Cooper (Tenn.), Jim Marshall (Ga.), Betsy Markey (Colo.), Baron Hill (Ind.), Walt Minnick (Idaho), Glenn Nye (Va.), Bobby Bright (Ala.) and Heath Shuler (N.C.), Mike McIntyre (N.C.). The other vote was Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.). 

Those Democrats are from nine different states with varying levels of unemployment — Alabama (10.8), Tennessee (10.4), North Carolina (10.3), Georgia (10.2) and Indiana (10). Idaho's unemployment rate is 9 percent, Colorado is at 8 percent, Arkansas at 7.7 and Virginia recorded 7.1 percent in May. 

Senate Democrats have spent several weeks trying to lure Republicans to support an extension of benefits that aren't paid for and consider the bill emergency spending, as has been done routinely in the past. 

Meanwhile, the Senate GOP insisted on pay-fors so the bill wouldn't add to the debt. They were joined by one Democrat, Sen. Ben Nelson (Neb.), enabling the filibuster to continue. 

Democrats picked up two Republican votes -- Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins -- but the vote to end debate on the bill was one vote short of the 60 needed to send the measure to the House. 

A House Democratic aide told The Hill on Wednesday that the Senate bill, which included unemployment benefits and the three-month extension for closing on a house that qualifies for the federal tax credit that expired April 30 -- would've likely passed despite a difference in offsets on the tax credit portion. 

Updated at 5:25 p.m.