Senate Passes $140 Billion Package to Help Unemployed

The Senate has passed a bill that consists of a $140 billion package designed to aid the unemployed with tax breaks.  Though the Republicans and Democrats have failed to work together to pass any sort of cohesive health care plan, they have passed a plan to help the jobless and underemployed. The bill includes a year long extension of unemployment benefits and will give money to states for Medicare.
 
The bill also includes tax extensions. The Washington Post reports:
 
Beyond those provisions, the bill carries renewals of several expired tax credits, including those for research and development, biodiesel, energy-efficient home improvements, and the deduction of state and local sales taxes. Those extensions helped attract the support of Republicans and the praise of business groups.
 
Though these renewals have gained praise from some:
 
Dorothy Coleman, vice president of tax and domestic economic policy for the National Association of Manufacturers, said the research-and-development credit extension will be a particularly effective job creator. "Going ahead and acting on these [tax extensions] gives companies some certainty" about how they can spend money in the future, she said.
 
But others feel that unemployment benefits and programs like COBRA are where the spending should be focused.
 
In addition to the $140 billion dollar package the Senate will be sending a $15 billion jobs bill to the Oval Office. The package would give a tax break for Social Security to businesses that hire new employees.
 
Though enough Republicans were on board with the bill to get it passed, some expressed reservations about the costs
 
"Why do we keep doing this?" asked Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.). "Why do we keep passing debt on to our children? Why do we keep running program after program out here that is shrouded in sweetness and light but not paid for?"