Sen. Portman Would Change Gov't. Assistance For The Unemployed

Ohio’s Republican U.S. Senator says changes need to be made in how government assists the unemployed. Rob Portman said today that such changes would provide practical skills that will help get the economy moving. "I think this is urgent," Portman says. "I think our country’s in trouble in a number of respects and one is these record numbers of long-term unemployed. We’ve never had this many long-term unemployed. That means over 27 weeks – over six months – of long-term unemployed." On Tuesday Portman joined other Republicans in a successful filibuster of a Senate bill that would have extended unemployment benefits. That fillibuster effectively killed the legislation. Portman said earlier this month that improving the economy is the key to reducing unemployment.