Republican congressman Peter King said on Sunday that he will consider backing a temporary extension of long-term unemployment benefits if Democrats make some concessions.
“I would like to find a way to get a compromise to extend unemployment insurance, at least for a brief period of time,” the New York congressman told CBS’s Bob Schieffer, “but at the same time, the Democrats should make compromises.” Arizona’s Matt Salmon, who appeared alongside King, sounded the same notes, saying that if Senate majority leader Harry Reid were to offer ideas for offsetting the cost of extending unemployment benefits, “he might find some people that are willing to talk to him.”
The Senate is set to vote on Monday on a three-month extension of unemployment benefits sponsored by Republican senator Dean Heller and Democratic senator Jack Reed.
If the bill passes, it will go to the Republican-controlled House for a vote. House Speaker John Boehner, through a spokesman, has said that he is open to supporting the measure if it is offset by other spending cuts and “as long as there are other efforts that will help get our economy moving once again.”
