State-Journal.com - Bunning's stand prompts rallies from both sides

Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., is being blamed for 2,000 federal transportation workers being furloughed without pay on Monday.

Candidates seeking U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning’s seat will rally at his Lexington office today to support and protest his blockage of highway programs and unemployment benefits.

Democrat Lt. Gov. Dan Mongiardo will criticize Bunning’s stance and Republican Rand Paul will support it – both rallies are scheduled for 3 p.m.

The legislation Bunning is blocking includes $10 billion for unemployment insurance payments.

Democrats pounced on both Bunning and his party for “obstructionist politics.” Republicans praised his efforts to restore fiscal responsibility.

Bunning has said the $10 billion in benefits should be paid through federal stimulus dollars so it won’t add to the deficit. Bunning, 78, a former Hall of Fame pitcher, isn’t running for a third Senate term.

The Department of Transportation also furloughed nearly 2,000 employees without pay Monday as the government began to feel the impact of Bunning’s one-man blockage.

Bunning’s “hold” also affects rural television customers, physicians receiving Medicare payments and others.

Absent that, his objections to proceed with the legislation deny the Senate “unanimous consent” under procedural rules for expediting legislation.

The Senate can overcome his objection if 60 of its 100 members so vote. So far they haven’t, and doing that would take at least four days under Senate rules.

“As American families are struggling in tough economic times, I am keenly disappointed that political games are putting a stop to important construction projects around the country,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

“This means that construction workers will be sent home from job sites because federal inspectors must be furloughed.”

Federal projects shut down include more than $38 million in project funding for Idaho’s Nez Perce National Forest, Fernan Lakes Idaho Panhandle National Forest and $86 million for bridge replacements in the Washington, D.C., area. Bunning’s home state of Kentucky has no projects affected by his action.

However, nearly 1.2 million unemployed workers, including 14,000 in Kentucky, would lose federal jobless benefits this month if Congress doesn’t extend them, according to the National Employment Law Project, a liberal-leaning research group.

The U.S. Labor Department estimates that about one-third will lose benefits in the first two weeks of the month.

Letting the highway program lapse could mean an estimated 90,000 jobs lost. As many as 2 million families could lose access to local television because a copyright law expired overnight.

States hardest hit by the Monday cutoff, according to the law project, would be California, where an estimated 201,274 people could lose help, and Florida, where the total is an estimated 105,016. Other potential state totals: Georgia, 48,284; Texas, 82,850 and Illinois, 65,431.

Bunning defended his action Monday on the Senate floor:

“If we can’t find $10 billion to pay for it, then we’re not going to pay for anything. The debt that we have arrived at, even the head of the Federal Reserve Bank, chairman (Ben) Bernanke, said it’s unsustainable.”

Just weeks ago Congress passed legislation requiring that most new programs must be paid for rather than adding to the budget deficit. Asked why supporters of these programs don’t find a way to pay for them, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said, “This is an emergency stopgap.”

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky’s senior senator, whose relationship with Bunning hasn’t always been warm, was unhappy that unemployment benefits were allowed to lapse.

“Senator McConnell supports extending unemployment benefits and is disappointed they have expired,” said Robert Steurer, a McConnell spokesman. “ ... However, he hopes this issue is resolved quickly so that Kentuckians who are out of work will have their benefits restored soon.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., voiced similar sentiments.

“It’s hard to argue with a senator who wants to become fiscally responsible, and we should be paying for as much as possible. I respect the right of each senator to hold up major legislation,” Graham said. “However, when it comes to unemployment benefits, I don’t think it’s fair to punish people who’ve already lost their jobs. You have to be realistic sometimes. The money is running out.

“For people who have lost their jobs, unemployment benefits may be the only income they’ve got. ... I’m willing to move forward to help them.”

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Bunning’s latest maneuvering is part of a broader problem in recent years in the Senate.

“We can’t even get an emergency extension of health and unemployment benefits for those whose benefits expired at midnight,” Gibbs said Monday.

The Senate will act Tuesday at the earliest, but approval is likely to be delayed until later in the week.

The Senate now is considering a different version of the extension, one that is expected to attract several amendments that could slow it down. Once the Senate passes the measure, it still must pass the House of Representatives.

27.	Posted by daniel2497451 March 16, 2010
	I love you smartguryl, really! I am just trying to help you see the error of your ways...always sucking up to those liily white Teabaggers who despise you behind your back, but are using you to try and legitimize their message of hate. Don't let them use you. Just look at the all of the footage of thousands of them protesting with signs that are too vulgar to show to your grandchildren, that harken back to those we saw during the civil rights movement. Then there are the racists hate chants towards our first black President, whom they scrawl Hilter mustaches on his likeness (or a bone in his nose...really!). Is THAT who you wanna associate yourself with? Make your grandchildren proud and cast off these racsist. The Teabaggers have been feeding you all of the lies and deceptions, incorrectly calling health care reform socialized medicine...or Obamacare! Shucks, guryl, many of these protesters are already ON this "evil system" of socialized medicine in the form of Medicare and don't even know it. What do they think those government run health plans are, like the one YOU are on at KSU are. The Teabaggers are cursing loudly about Obama's sinister "czars" (throwing in the fear factor of the old USSR cold-war...get it?), when all presidents have appointed them in the past. Free yourself, smartguryl, from this Ignorant White People's Party.