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Lone Senator Blocks Unemployment Benefits extensions.
He's one of Kentucky's senators, a fucking Republican (of course).
Starting Monday, the jobless will no longer be able to apply for federal unemployment benefits or the COBRA health insurance subsidy.
With the Senate not in a position to vote on the extensions until next Tuesday at the earliest, senators and their staffs scrambled to determine the practical implication of letting the programs lapse -- even if for just a few days.
In addition to funding unemployment insurance and the COBRA health insurance program for people who have lost their jobs, the bill would have prevented a scheduled 21 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors.
( I've written to him via his website. This is what I said. )
The way I understand the issue, the majority of the senators want to pass the extensions as an emergency measure. Bunning doesn't oppose the extensions as such, but wants Congress to provide upfront the $10billion the program(s) will cost, rather than "offset" them.
It's a Kentucky senator holding things back, but this affects EVERYONE currently drawing unemployment benefits or applying for COBRA. I strongly recommend contacting your local representatives (you can google your individual state + senator to get contact information) to try and get this issue resolved. The CNN article says that nothing will go forward now until "next Tuesday", and it's hard to tell if they mean next, as in this coming Tuesday (March 2nd) or the Tuesday after that. I really hope it's the 2nd, but doubt my luck is going to run that way.
This weekend has just been fucking spiffy, both in personal issues and in the events affecting people on a more global scale.
He's one of Kentucky's senators, a fucking Republican (of course).
Starting Monday, the jobless will no longer be able to apply for federal unemployment benefits or the COBRA health insurance subsidy.
With the Senate not in a position to vote on the extensions until next Tuesday at the earliest, senators and their staffs scrambled to determine the practical implication of letting the programs lapse -- even if for just a few days.
In addition to funding unemployment insurance and the COBRA health insurance program for people who have lost their jobs, the bill would have prevented a scheduled 21 percent cut in Medicare payments to doctors.
( I've written to him via his website. This is what I said. )
The way I understand the issue, the majority of the senators want to pass the extensions as an emergency measure. Bunning doesn't oppose the extensions as such, but wants Congress to provide upfront the $10billion the program(s) will cost, rather than "offset" them.
It's a Kentucky senator holding things back, but this affects EVERYONE currently drawing unemployment benefits or applying for COBRA. I strongly recommend contacting your local representatives (you can google your individual state + senator to get contact information) to try and get this issue resolved. The CNN article says that nothing will go forward now until "next Tuesday", and it's hard to tell if they mean next, as in this coming Tuesday (March 2nd) or the Tuesday after that. I really hope it's the 2nd, but doubt my luck is going to run that way.
This weekend has just been fucking spiffy, both in personal issues and in the events affecting people on a more global scale.
