Senate Republican Bunning Blocks Extension of Jobless Benefits

Feb. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Unemployment benefits will temporarily expire Feb. 28 after a Senate Republican blocked a one-month extension because it would add to the federal budget deficit.

Senator Jim Bunning, a Kentucky Republican, objected to consideration of the measure, demanding that lawmakers offset its $10 billion cost to prevent it from adding to the government’s $1.6 trillion deficit.

“Everybody in this chamber wants to extend unemployment benefits,” said Bunning. “If we can’t find $10 billion somewhere for a bill that everybody in this body supports, we will never pay for anything.”

Democrats, who spent hours last night trying to force the bill through and tried unsuccessfully again today, said Bunning was needlessly hurting some of the nation’s most vulnerable citizens.

“It is unthinkable, unforgivable that we would cut off unemployment insurance payments to these people,” said Senator Dick Durbin, the chamber’s second-ranking Democrat. “Why do you pick the unemployed families of America, falling behind, losing their homes, struggling to survive, to make your political point about debt and deficits?”

Bunning objected under a Senate rule that allows any single lawmaker to prevent a bill from coming to a vote. Lawmakers can eventually overcome those objections with 60 votes, though the process takes several days. Democrats predicted the bill would be overwhelmingly approved next week.

The legislation, approved yesterday by the House, would provide a one-month extension for unemployment benefits, including Cobra subsidies to help the jobless buy health insurance.

It would also temporarily prevent a scheduled 21 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements to doctors and extend the copyright used by satellite television providers through March 28.

The measure would buy lawmakers time to debate longer-term extensions of the programs.