Missouri lawmakers have blocked a vote that would have accepted federal money to extend unemployment benefits. The money would have extend unemployment benefits from 79 to 99 weeks, and will effect around 10,000 people starting next week, with another 24,000 expected to be effected by the end of the year. The legislators who blocked the vote said that they were concerned about the federal debt, saying that the government should not spend money they do not have. They also said that they were planning to block a vote that would accept $190 million for education. Legislators who had planned to vote for the funds said that by blocking the vote, their colleagues were out of touch with reality, and that this would only hurt people.
See "Missouri Halts Extension of Pay for Unemployed", A.G. Sulzberger, The New York Times, March 31, 2011