And we thought Bunning was bad . . . .

[bpwallace49]

Senate Republican holds up jobless benefits

 

WASHINGTON – As Congress raced to leave Washington for its Easter recess, a Republican senator blocked a stopgap bill to extend jobless benefits, saying its $9 billion cost should not be added to the national debt.

 

As a result, some people who have been out of work for more than six months will at least temporarily lose benefits. Newly jobless people won't be eligible to sign up for generous health insurance subsidies.

 

At the center of the battle is Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who's insisting that the measure be "paid for" so as not to add to the nation's $12.7 trillion debt.

 

"What we are doing is stealing future opportunity from our children," Coburn said Thursday.

 

Republicans offered legislation to finance the monthlong extension of jobless benefits by rescinding unspent money from last year's economic stimulus bill. The effort was killed on a party-line vote.

 

Democrats repeatedly sought speedy Senate approval of a House-passed measure that would extend jobless benefits through May 5, but Coburn objected. Republicans said Senate negotiations produced a compromise that didn't pass muster in the House.

 

Jim Manley, a spokesman for Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the Senate would attempt to retroactively bestow the jobless benefits when it returns from its spring recess April 12.

 

The practical effect of the lapse in benefits would be limited if they are awarded retroactively. But labor advocates say it produces bureacratic nightmares for state labor departments and that trying to restore the lapsed benefits is easier said than done.

 

Reid had the option of keeping the Senate in session to force a vote to try to break through the GOP blocking tactics but instead will revisit the issue in 2 1/2 weeks.

 

The clash comes less than a month after Republicans abandoned a similar battle that led to an interruption in unemployment benefits eligibility for some people and a two-day furlough for about 2,000 Transportation Department employees.

 

A stopgap law enacted early this month extends though April 5 unemployment insurance for people who have been out of a job for more than six months, provides health insurance subsidies for the jobless and protects doctors from a sharp cut in Medicare payments.

 

But another short-term extension of the jobless benefits is needed while House and Senate Democrats work through negotiations on a long-term measure that would provide them through the end of the year. Those talks have slowed, prompting Democrats to move to extend benefits for an additional month.

 

Last month, Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., blocked a similar extension of jobless benefits, but Republicans ended up on the losing end of a public relations battle and Bunning backed away.

 

The House passed the stopgap bill last week by a voice vote.

 

Democratic leaders say that jobless benefits are an emergency and don't need to conform to the new pay-as-you-go budget law, which requires new benefit programs to be offset with spending cuts or tax increases so they don't increase the deficit.

 

"We really believe that the unemployment situation is an emergency economic situation. Republicans do not accept that," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the majority whip. "They want to cut off unemployment benefits or pay for it with stimulus funds that are creating jobs."

 

First time Bunning did this I was really pissed at him for springing this was zero advanced notice, which really hurt people in crisis right now, instead of trying to find a solution to the problem.

 

This time the left should have funking known better and found funding for this AHEAD of time to stay within paygo rules. It isnt like this didnt EXACTLY HAPPEN BEFORE or anything. Plus Reid cutting and running instead of staying to find the damn money is cowardice in the extreme.

 

More great results when neither corrupt party can work with each other. Stalemate, nothing gets done, and the constituents get frucked. Business as usual in Washington DC . . . .

[Duchess Jack]

First time Bunning did this I was really pissed at him for springing this was zero advanced notice

 

wouldn't the advance notice be when folks unemployment ran out? folk had notice of that - everything else is gravy. not saying I agree with his actions - but that people should expect the unemployment to end when it should and consider anything in addition to that a blessing on top of the blessing they already have been recieving.

[bpwallace49]

wouldn't the advance notice be when folks unemployment ran out? folk had notice of that - everything else is gravy. not saying I agree with his actions - but that people should expect the unemployment to end when it should and consider anything in addition to that a blessing on top of the blessing they already have been recieving.

 

Not at all. When other extensions like this have come up, they have routinely passed. The Dems AND a lot of Repubs were completely shocked when Bunning did this without advanced notice.

 

Now that the Dems KNEW this could happen, they propose something AGAIN without finding funding for it or releasing stimulus funds to cover it. Pure laziness, just like the half-assed campaign in Massachusettes.

[The Mucca]

First time Bunning did this I was really pissed at him for springing this was zero advanced notice, which really hurt people in crisis right now, instead of trying to find a solution to the problem.

 

This time the left should have funking known better and found funding for this AHEAD of time to stay within paygo rules. It isnt like this didnt EXACTLY HAPPEN BEFORE or anything. Plus Reid cutting and running instead of staying to find the damn money is cowardice in the extreme.

 

More great results when neither corrupt party can work with each other. Stalemate, nothing gets done, and the constituents get frucked. Business as usual in Washington DC . . . .

 

 

It's there break time, cut them some slack, they will get to it when they get back.

Edited March 26, 2010 by The Mucca

[Duchess Jack]

but isn't simply expecting that your benefits are going to be extended irresponsible? again - I am not saying that they should or should not be - just commenting on the 'no notice' end of things. perhaps you 'hope' it will be extended - but assuming it will be extended and then being shoccked when things end when they are supposed to seems to border on that whole entitlement thing

[bpwallace49]

but isn't simply expecting that your benefits are going to be extended irresponsible? again - I am not saying that they should or should not be - just commenting on the 'no notice' end of things. perhaps you 'hope' it will be extended - but assuming it will be extended and then being shoccked when things end when they are supposed to seems to border on that whole entitlement thing

 

Duchess . . . I am not speaking from the perspective of someone receiving benefits. I am speaking on the idiocy of the Dems not preparing to get something in place to pay for this extension after Bunning held it up last time. This doesnt have to do with expecting eternal unemploymnet benefits, but focuses on the poor planning by the left after already getting caught on this issue previously. The issue itself (unemploymnet benefits) can be debated ad nauseum, and wasnt the point of my post.

 

It doesnt matter WHAT the bill contains. After you have been tripped up once on the SAME ISSUE why wouldnt you prepare for the same thing to happen again?

Edited March 26, 2010 by bpwallace49

[gbpfan1231]

Duchess . . . I am not speaking from the perspective of someone receiving benefits. I am speaking on the idiocy of the Dems not preparing to get something in place to pay for this extension after Bunning held it up last time.

 

It doesnt matter WHAT the bill contains. After you have been tripped up once on the SAME ISSUE why wouldnt you prepare for the same thing to happen again?

Being asked to actually get funding and pay for something is being tripped up? Keep on with the entitlements baby.

[bpwallace49]

Being asked to actually get funding and pay for something is being tripped up? Keep on with the entitlements baby.

 

Please read what I wrote first before posting.

 

NO ONE from either side expected Bunning to do what he did. Doesnt mean it wasnt right. You DO know that a LOT of Republicans supported the measure that Bunning blocked . . . right? Or are you just chiming in for a pointless partisan zinger? No one outside of Bunning himself knew what he was doing. So yes . . that is being "tripped up". Please note that zero republicans that supported the extension found any way to pay for it either. Ooops.

 

Knowing what happened with Bunning, it is ridiculous that they didnt obtain funding for doing the exact same issue again. That is the point of this exercise.

[gbpfan1231]

Why don't they just increase the taxes on capital gains to pay for it or has that recently been done?

[tosberg34]

Please read what I wrote first before posting.

 

NO ONE from either side expected Bunning to do what he did. Doesnt mean it wasnt right. You DO know that a LOT of Republicans supported the measure that Bunning blocked . . . right? Or are you just chiming in for a pointless partisan zinger? No one outside of Bunning himself knew what he was doing. So yes . . that is being "tripped up". Please note that zero republicans that supported the extension found any way to pay for it either. Ooops.

 

Knowing what happened with Bunning, it is ridiculous that they didnt obtain funding for doing the exact same issue again. That is the point of this exercise.

 

You may find this hard to believe but you and I actually agree on something. How about that? Is it snowing where you are?

[bpwallace49]

You may find this hard to believe but you and I actually agree on something. How about that? Is it snowing where you are?

 

How disappointing. I was hoping for a "Obamamessiah is a socialist!/commuist/antchrist that is forming death panels and stealing all my money to fund his mooslim extremist agenda to combat the false threat of global warming while secretly banning all guns and performing abortions in the Lincoln bedroom"

 

But I am now going to a window to check for snow. . . .

[cliaz]

"Obamamessiah is a socialist!/commuist/antchrist that is forming death panels and stealing all my money to fund his mooslim extremist agenda to combat the false threat of global warming while secretly banning all guns and performing abortions in the Lincoln bedroom"

 

 

He is

[bpwallace49]

He is

 

At least someone didnt disappoint . . . .

[cliaz]

At least someone didnt disappoint . . . .

 

I try not to

 

 

Vote Cliaz in 2012!

[Big John]

Vote Cliaz in 2012!

That used to be 2009.

[Clubfoothead]

but isn't simply expecting that your benefits are going to be extended irresponsible? again - I am not saying that they should or should not be - just commenting on the 'no notice' end of things. perhaps you 'hope' it will be extended - but assuming it will be extended and then being shoccked when things end when they are supposed to seems to border on that whole entitlement thing

 

I'm guessing the majority of these folks are unemployed but want work and can't get it. To that extent if you are unemployed and can't find work when your benefits are about to run out the only affirmative action one could take would be to hope the unemployment benefits are extended.

[Duchess Jack]

I'm guessing the majority of these folks are unemployed but want work and can't get it. To that extent if you are unemployed and can't find work when your benefits are about to run out the only affirmative action one could take would be to hope the unemployment benefits are extended.

agreed. I misread his point. As I said - I was not commenting on whether I agree with Coburn or not - but rather commenting on the 'without notice' thing - which was again, a point I misunderstood.

[Clubfoothead]

agreed. I misread his point. As I said - I was not commenting on whether I agree with Coburn or not - but rather commenting on the 'without notice' thing - which was again, a point I misunderstood.

 

No big deal.

 

I read the Democrat's opposition to the Republican plan to be because republicans want to keep doing this monthly while the democrats favored a bill extending the benefits until May. It certainly seems more efficient for Congrees to deal with the issue less than monthly. I find it disapointing that side would be willing to play politics with these benefits and I'm not stupid enough to think only one party does, either.

 

I have a long list of reasons why I think Coburn is evil but without knowing the details, it seems to me it would have been better for the unemployed for the republican extension to have gone though than none. Point taken there.