With jobs agenda stymied, congressional Democrats settle for short term fix for Medicare

Dems settle for Medicare fix as jobs bill falters

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats are looking for ways to salvage their election-year jobs agenda after the Senate failed to pass a bill extending unemployment payments.

Senate Democrats cut billions from the bill to attract enough Republican votes, but they fell three votes short Thursday of the 60 required to crack a GOP filibuster.

The demise of the bill means unemployment benefits will phase out for more than 200,000 people a week. Governors who had been counting on federal aid will now have to consider a fresh round of budget cuts, tax increases and layoffs of state workers.

Congressional Democrats did manage a smaller victory, pushing through a bill temporarily sparing doctors from a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments.