Statement by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on Senate Cloture Vote on Tax Extenders and Unemployment Aid

The actions taken today in the Senate move us closer to enacting a package of tax incentives, support for small business lending, and assistance to American families that is critically important to our economic recovery. This is one more step forward as we fight to get the American people back to work and support families that have been the hardest hit by the economic crisis. The package will extend a set of tax provisions already passed by the House that would provide immediate support to individuals and businesses -- including an extension of the Research and Experimentation Tax Credit to support investment in American R&D jobs. It would extend through the end of the year unemployment insurance and COBRA health care assistance for workers who have lost their jobs. And it would enable the Small Business Administration to continue providing tens of billions of dollars of loans to small business owners through the end of the year. The President is grateful to members of both parties that helped move forward on this bill.