Passes $225 million Iron Dome bill
The U.S. Congress passes a $225 million funding bill for Iron Dome ahead of the five-week summer break for lawmakers. The House of Representatives 395-8 vote in favor follows unanimous Senate approval and the bill now goes to President Barack Obama, who requested the money and is expected to sign it into law. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) on the Senate floor:
We will stand with you on the battlefield; we will stand with you in the court of public opinion, and we’re going to push back against the United Nations.
Unemployment extension
The Senate passes a bipartisan bill reauthorizing emergency unemployment insurance in a 59-38 vote. The bill is authored by Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Dean Heller (R-NV). Senate Democrats incorporated Republican ideas into the bill, including banning millionaires from receiving benefits and offering enhanced assessments and referrals to reemployment services. It is fully paid for by extending ‘pension smoothing’ provisions and customs user fees. Reed:
Millions of Americans are struggling to find work, and today, the U.S. Senate finally passed a bipartisan bill to provide them some targeted, temporary relief. Restoring emergency unemployment insurance is the right thing to do and this is a critical moment to get it done. The bipartisan bill we crafted is a fiscally responsible compromise that will help save and create jobs, assist our neighbors in need, and improve both our short-term and long-term national economic health.