Two New Hampshire Democrats in Washington expressed frustration yesterday with a filibuster that was delaying an extension of unemployment benefits.
The filibuster ended late last night and the benefits were extended, but the filibuster renews focus on efforts to rewrite the filibuster rules, as has been suggested by U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of the Granite State. (See related story.)
Shaheen and U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter made statements or wrote letters yesterday urging Senate leaders to -- as Shaheen described it -- "stop the obstruction."
A Senate filibuster, which the Democratic majority can no longer overcome, delayed initiatives in the Senate that are important to Shaheen. The filibuster came from Sen. Jim Bunning, a Republican from Kentucky.
"Because of that one Senator and his filibuster, federal unemployment benefits and health care subsidies for people who have lost their jobs have now expired," Shaheen said on the Senate floor yesterday.
"This Senator also single-handedly halted highway projects across the country and put workers’ futures in jeopardy. The obstruction of this bill has brought to a standstill small business lending programs that have been successful at boosting the number of SBA guaranteed loans since the Recovery Act was passed. Because of this Senator’s actions, physicians will see their Medicare reimbursements slashed by over 21 percent, threatening seniors’ health care."
The Senate last night finally agreed to a 30-day extension of unemployment benefits for hundreds of thousands of people around the country whose benefits expire this week, after the leadership agreed with Bunning to make cuts elsewhere to pay for the extension.
Shea-Porter expressed her frustration with the delays in a letter yesterday to the Senate leadership: Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell:
"There should be no doubt that the expiration of unemployment benefits at the end of this month would, in fact, be an emergency for millions of Americans who currently rely on these benefits," wrote Shea-Porter, who represents the First District.
"The Department of Labor has estimated that up to 2.7 million Americans could exhaust their benefits by May 1 if an extension is not passed. For these individuals and families, the loss of a job is an emergency. Allowing the clock to run out on these benefits while the "emergency" nature is discussed in the Senate is unconscionable. I understand, and these individuals and families in my District and in your states understand, that the expiration of these extended benefits would create another unnecessary and avoidable emergency."
The unemployment extension, which also included COBRA subsidies, authorization for higher pay for Medicare doctors and funding for federal highway programs, passed 78-19.
Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire voted no. Shaheen voted yes.
Under the deal with Bunning, Reid agreed to allow a vote on a measure to offset the bill's $10 billion cost with cuts in other programs. However, the off-set measure is expected to fail, and the unemployment extension bill will not be paid for after all.
Comments
Yes, the Dems were frustrated because they didn't want to abide my that pesky thing - the law. They needed to account for the funding either through more borrowing, higher taxes or a decrease in spending somewhere else. BTW, Obama signed the creation of that stipulation.
Paul, nothing like slanting the story.
You don't expect the dimocrats to follow the law they passed just 2 weeks ago. President Obama even singled out congress in his weekly address pointing out how the PayGo law had been passed. I guess whoever put that in his teleprompter is going to be fired.
Anyway it was not a filibuster, but a hold by one senator.
It is nothing but words, the dimocrats just speak, but don't really mean what they say.
If Shea-Porter feels frustrated now how is she going to feel when she loses re-election this fall?
Republicans confiscated trillions upon trillions of dollars to promote their colonization policies why not a few billion for the unemployed.Perhaps, it is because, it does not funnel through the military elite industries.Elite would appreciate your payments as soon as possible, please..
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