Deal Made with Bunning, UI Benefits Resume

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) accepted an offer from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to drop his hold on a bill that will allow unemployed workers to see their Unemployment Insurance benefits and health insurance subsidies continue for 30 more days and to return some 2,000 federal highway safety employees to work today. The Senate quickly passed (78-19) the $10.3 billion bill, HR 4691, and cleared it for President Obama's signature

CQ ($):

The 78-19 vote to clear the bill (HR 4691) for President Obama’s signature came after Democrats lambasted Bunning for preventing the Senate from extending the popular programs.

The bill would provide a short-term renewal of economic safety-net programs for the jobless and laws governing satellite television transmission. It also would prevent a cut in Medicare physician payments and would extend small-business, flood insurance and highway programs.

Bunning had blocked the measure since last week, arguing that the $10.3 billion cost should be offset. But he relented Tuesday, accepting an offer from Democratic leadership to have a vote on his proposal to pay for the bill’s cost by preventing “black liquor,” a wood byproduct, from being eligible for the cellulosic biofuels producer tax credit.

Democrats had offered Bunning the same deal last week and ripped him Tuesday for not taking it sooner.

(Craig Jennings 03/03/10)

Comments

by le pliage longchamp (not verified) on 12/24/11

le pliage longchamp

by Anonymous (not verified) on 03/04/10

Here in La. things is

Here in La. things is hard,too, with no jobs and the fat cats deciding who gets what and how this will get paid, the budget and so forth. Well ,for one, why don't WE vote to have the big salaries cut for congress and the senate, start there .They work for US.They have jobs when we don't and it seems like nobody's trying to make sure that all has the same opportunity as them.It's not like we don't rather a pay check than a mere stipin from week to week. I have worked since I was 15 years old. I am 50 years old now,have been on interview on top of interviews to no avail, and all of us is playing the game of survival while they play with our lives.I recieved the letter today Thursday 3-4-2010, dated 3-1-2010 informing me that my U.I. Benefits have exhausted and to file another claim for emergency bennies, so how long will it take to make a determination and by the time they do will I be homeless or sitting in the dark because I can't pay the bill, or hungry because I can't buy food to eat? This is scary when WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN TOMORROW, WHO WILL GET AND WHO WON'T. We need to veto OUT the idiots in Washington and who represent our states, and let them know WE won't take it any more and the buck stops here TODAY. What did we do to make them hate the poor and the weak who can't speak for themselves? Oh, they got too comfortabable. We were too trusting of Vitter and Bunning and all the pack that travel in the same circle. How dare them look down on us like we are trash.We pay their salaries and now, it's time for them to be unemployed , vetoed and voided.But God sits high and looks low. We will survive this horrific autrosity that has been done to US. May God continue to bless us and stay with us. Good luck for need it.