Tuesday - GOP's Bunning continues one-man Senate filibuster

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GOP's Bunning continues one-man Senate filibuster

March 2, 2010 |  8:22 am

Sen. Jim Bunning, the Republican from Kentucky whom Democrats love to blame for preventing passage of an extension of unemployment benefits, again blocked the Senate from taking up the measure on Tuesday.
Bunning objected to a request from fellow Republican, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, to pass a 30-day extension of jobless benefits and other expired measures included in a $10-billion spending bill. Bunning, who is retiring from the Senate, has said he supports the bill’s goals but is opposing the measure until it is fully funded without increasing the federal deficit.

In a one-person filibuster, Bunning has blocked the bill that, in addition to extending benefits, would also fund highway projects and prevent a big cut in Medicare payments to doctors. Thousands of workers on federal transportation projects have been furloughed and 41 transportation projects around the country have been suspended. About 100,000 people have seen their benefits expire.

While everyone expects Senate leaders to eventually heal the damage and pass the bill, the filibuster has become a good issue for Democrats to argue that the GOP is callous and unfeeling in dealing with U.S. economic woes. Even some moderate Republicans, like Collins, have been upset with Bunning’s one-person crusade to force government to live by its decision to pay for programs without increasing debt.

With Democrats stepping up their attacks in press releases about the halted projects, Bunning on Tuesday told his colleagues that he did not stand alone. He read from what he said were letters from supporters who backed his efforts at fiscal austerity and attacked Washington politicians for failing to support Bunning, a hall-of-fame baseball pitcher.

“It is really hypocritical of the Democrats to argue for pay as you go, then to present a bill that is not only not paid for, not a little bit,” Bunning said.

“I’m sorry my friend from Kentucky is taking this so personally,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said after Bunning's strong objections. “It really shouldn’t be the case.”
-- Michael Muskal