By Gabrielle Tassone - March 1, 2010
Nearly one million Americans woke up without unemployment insurance or COBRA benefits this morning. The benefits were expected to be renewed by Congress last week, but a lone Republican filibuster denied passage.
A jobs bill was held up by Sen. Jim Bunning R-Ky., last Thursday over objections on government spending. The temporary unemployment benefits were to be renewed in that bill.
Sen. Jon Kyl, speaking on "Fox News Sunday," said Bunning was right in disputing the legislation because it was seemingly exempt from the recently-passed PAYGO legislation, which requires Congress to have funding means set for all new legislation before it is enacted.
"All Senator Bunning was saying, quite correctly, was that it should be paid for," Kyl said. "It will pass though, because it is a temporary extension." The extension will cost over $10 billion.
A proposed long-term, $100 billion jobless benefits package remains uncertain because lawmakers have not yet found a direct way to pay for it.
Democrats contend the expiration of benefits is an emergency and that the logistics can be figured out later.
Vice President Joe Biden said Bunning's actions were fundamentally unfair.
"He's blocking the extension of unemployment insurance, which means if he succeeds, one million people ... next month will be thrown off the unemployment rolls ... into nothing but what I would call despair," Biden said.
Bunning's actions have only delayed the legislation for a few days; it is expected that the Senate will be able to renew the benefits on Tuesday, when it returns to session.
