Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said on Monday that he didn’t vote for legislation that would extend unemployment benefits because it didn’t include proposals to grow the economy or encourage hiring.
“We need to jumpstart our slow economy by liberating the free enterprise system, replacing long-term unemployment insurance with job training and using existing federal education dollars to give low-income families the chance to choose a better school,” Alexander, the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said.
Democratic leaders in the Senate cut off debate on the unemployment benefits legislation, Alexander said, and didn’t consider Republican proposals and amendments that would help the unemployed.
Alexander cited the Workforce Investment Act of 2013, a bipartisan measure approved by the Senate HELP Committee, as an example of legislation that would grow the economy and create opportunities.
The measure would amend the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, which provides a range of workforce development functions. The amended legislation would reform the workforce development system with innovative employment training efforts.
Alexander also introduced the Scholarships for Kids Act in January. The measure would establish $2,100 scholarships using existing federal dollars to allow 11 million low-income children to attend schools of their choice.