White House supports emergency passage of jobless benefits

Unemployment benefits should be considered emergency spending and paying for them isn't a likely option, a White House official said Wednesday. 

"I think this is a unique emergency that we believe should be addressed immediately," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs. 

Senate Democrats and Republicans are at a stalemate over extending unemployment benefits to millions of Americans who have been out of work for more than six months. 

Lawmakers were unable to reach an agreement on an approximately $34 billion measure before leaving town for the week-long July 4 recess. Republicans are insisting on using stimulus to help pay for the benefits while Democrats have argued that, in the past, unemployment insurance has been extended without being offset by tax increases or the shifting of funds from other accounts. 

Gibbs said Wednesday he wasn't aware of any additional efforts to find a way to pay for the measure but said he "would check" on the status.  

The June jobs report showed a slight dip in the jobless rate to 9.5 percent with 14.6 million Americans out of work. More than 9.2 million are collecting some form of unemployment insurance, including 4.9 million receiving federal extensions of aid. 

If Congress fails to act before the August recess, more than 3.2 million people, about 75 percent of those getting extended benefits, will lose them, according to Labor Department numbers. 

"This has been, and should be, treated as an emergency, as it makes economic sense to provide benefits to people that are, because of what happened in this economy two years ago, with the type of support that they need," Gibbs said. 

"They’re using that money and putting it back into the economy. It makes sense certainly for the workers, and it makes sense for your economy."