UPDATE: Jobless benefits bill hits snag in the Senate

WASHINGTON (AP) — A measure restoring jobless benefits of up to 99 weeks for people struggling to find work after months of unemployment has hit a temporary snag in the Senate.

Despite winning the single Republican vote they needed, Democrats today fell just short of the 60 votes necessary to defeat a GOP challenge to the jobless benefits measure. Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy was absent to attend the funeral of a close friend.

The defeat should be temporary since Democrats are likely to win a revote as soon as later this afternoon after Leahy returns to Washington.

Republicans were seeking to force Congress to pay for its $18 billion cost and not add to budget deficits topping $1 trillion.

But George Voinovich, R-Ohio, broke with his party to vote with Democrats to keep the measure on track.