U.S. Rep. Steven C. LaTourette, R-Bainbridge Township, voted Thursday to extend unemployment benefits.

He said benefits for millions of Americans had been held hostage by partisan bickering in Washington, DC.

LaTourette said it’s unconscionable that benefits have been held up for so long.

The measure passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 272-152, and already passed in the Senate. President Barack Obama signed the measure Thursday into law.

“I would certainly prefer that these benefits be paid for, but I cannot in good conscience ignore the hardship and suffering of Americans and that’s why I voted to approve these benefits twice in the last few weeks,” LaTourette said.

The congressman said the delay has added unnecessary stress to those who are out of work, and pounding the pavement looking for jobs. He said it’s hard to fathom why the House and Senate leadership are so rigid in their refusal to attempt to offset even one cent of the costs of extending benefits.

“Some suggest that finding $34 billion to pay for this is an impossible burden, and that’s nonsense. An impossible burden is finding a job in this economy,” LaTourette said.

-- John Arthur Hutchison
JHutchison@News-Herald.com