Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) Objects to Another Vote Extending Unemployment Benefits

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) objects once again to the Senate extending unemployment benefits for the next 30 days while they work on a longer extension.

Once again, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) has objected to the Senate extending unemployment benefits. He prevented a vote on a bill on Monday that would extend eligibility for enhanced unemployment benefits and subsidized health insurance for laid-off workers by 30 days. This is a disgrace and I hope the people of his state see what he is doing. Sen. Bunning doesn't care one iota about the millions of people who have no jobs and have no health insurance. His actions will backfire for the Republicans, whose leadership in the Senate can't seem to control this man.

Monday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) asked for unanimous consent to move forward with the bill, Bunning objected. The reality is if Congress fails to pass an extension, an estimated 1.2 million people will lose their benefits in March, according to the National Employment Law Project. Once again, politicians in Washington D.C. aren't listening to the people on Main Street. Bunning blamed the Democrats for failing to extend benefits with an earlier bill that Sen. Reid scrapped. He repeated his insistence that the Senate not add an additional $10 billion to the deficit.

Thanks to Sen. Bunning, two thousand federal transportation workers were furloughed without pay on Monday. The Transportation Department said federal reimbursements to states for highway programs will also be halted.

What is also disgraceful is the fact that he became irate when a reporter from ABC News tried to ask him about his objection. He said, "excuse me, this is a Senate-only elevator." "Excuse me!" Harry Reid and the other members of the Senate who are in favor of the extension need to get around this idiot and listen to the people on Main Street.