can t find work. this is a business. it truly is. it s the business of survival. reporter: so far, congress has failed to extend benefits for 99ers without a way to pay for it. and some, like doug ras holtz-eken, economic policy director to john mccain s presidential campaign, argue the money would be better spent on training programs. the longer they re unemployed and their skills are getting worse, the harder it is to find a job. reporter: in fact, rosen tells us he s been rejected by perspective employers because he s been out of work too long. how do you deal with that? you either curl up in a ball, which i did for a period of time, or you continue to fight on. and you just keep pushing and keep putting the resumes out there and hope that eventually the economy is going to catch up with me and say, okay, we now need you. reporter: mary snow, cnn. cnn s mary snow joins us now live. mary, extended benefits has been