For too long Republicans have been playing political games in Congress without regard to the real needs of our citizens. It is time for it to stop!
The latest act of obstruction was performed by Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning who single-handedly blocked extension of unemployment benefits for 1.2 million people.
It is an outrage and an embarrassment to have a senator from our state torpedo unemployment benefits for people who are struggling to survive. To add insult to injury, Bunning responded to appeals to stop blocking the benefits with a vulgarity.
When Bunning finally backed down and the extension was approved, he pledged to keep coming back to repeatedly block action unless every provision was accompanied by a funding mechanism. These emergency extensions are proposed to help people who are barely getting by.
Bunning had no problem voting for two wars and a tax cut for the wealthy without designating funds to pay for them.
The Republican candidates to replace Bunning in this year's election, Trey Grayson and Rand Paul, said they SUPPORTED Bunning's effort to block these benefits. That is a disgrace!
These are continuing examples of negative politics from the ‘Party of NO’ that we have seen far too much.
People are hurting and Republicans are dangerously out of touch. Are Republicans not aware that 10.7 percent of Kentuckians are out of work and 119,230 Kentuckians currently depend on these extended benefits to feed their families?
Last year Governor Beshear went the extra mile to make sure these citizens were eligible for extended benefits. Now a Republican senator, in whom Kentucky voters put their trust, brought to a halt actions to provide unemployment insurance and access to health care coverage through Cobra. The Cobra program allows people who lose their health benefits to continue getting coverage.
Here is what this Republican obstruction meant: Without a further extension, 14,206 Kentucky claimants would exhaust all extension benefits within two weeks. By the end of March, a total of 22,797 unemployed Kentuckians would exhaust their benefits; by mid-April, 31,521 more people in our state would exhaust their benefits; and, by July 31, the remainder of those receiving extension benefits would exhaust them. Beyond the number of those receiving extension benefits, another 90,000 Kentuckians currently on unemployment insurance would not be eligible for the federal extension program at all.
These are not just numbers, these are your neighbors, your friends, and maybe even you.
Bunning's action went beyond blocking unemployment and health insurance benefits with his "hold' on these funding measures last week. He also stopped an extension of the Highway Trust Fund for 30 days. As a result 2,000 federal employees working on transportation projects were furloughed, halting 41 critical construction projects from Alaska to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The mischief Bunning has caused does not end there. Other provisions of the bill spared doctors from a 21 percent cut in Medicare payments,extended a small business loan program, the National Flood Insurance Program and the copyright license used by satellite television providers.
Without an extension more than a million rural television viewers would not be able to watch local stations on their satellite systems.
Republican disdain for the people has reached an intolerable level. It must end.
Support the Democratic ticket in November and elect people who believe government must work for people!