Congress allowed extended unemployment benefits to run out last week.  Today, more than one million unemployed have lost their benefits, and without an extension, that number will swell to 3 million by the end of January.

On Saturday, the Senate rejected a plan to extend unemployment benefits and to extend the tax cuts to families making less than $250,000 passed under George W. Bush.  Yesterday, GOP leaders said they were in talks to cut a deal that would extend tax cuts people who make over $250,000 per year and that in exchange they “would probably agree to extend jobless aid for the long-term unemployed.

The GOP says they don’t want to extend jobless benefits because doing so could add $35 billion to the federal deficit, yet they’ll consider extending benefits if Democrats agree to add $700 billion to the deficit by extending the Bush tax cuts to the country’s wealthiest 2%.

If you’re having trouble following the logic here, it’s because this debate isn’t really about the budget deficit.  The GOP wants more money to go to the country’s wealthiest people, and they don’t care who they have to hurt to get it.

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