Jim Bunning To Get Another Chance To Block An Unemployment Benefits Extension: Will He Take It?

Sen. Jim Bunning, the Kentucky Republican who single-handedly blocked a 30-day extension of the stimulus bill's provisions for enhanced unemployment benefits in February, may get a chance to reprise his spoiler role.

On Tuesday, Senate Democrats plan to ask for unanimous consent for yet another temporary extension. All it takes is one senator to object to prevent the Senate from moving forward without have to go through an onerous and time-consuming parliamentary process.

"I think there's concern that we may be in the same situation we were in before, except we don't have the floor time for fighting back against Republicans," said a Senate Democratic aide.

A bill extending enhanced unemployment benefits for the rest of the year is backed up behind health care reconciliation and a two-week break starting after this week. "Although the Senate passed the yearlong extension, they paid for the tax extenders part of that bill with offsets the House set aside for health care," said Judy Conti, a lobbyist for the National Employment Law Project. "Sen. Reid's office has been very clear that the only way they can move it is through unanimous consent."

Senate Democrats plan to pass another short-term emergency extension of unemployment aid this week, setting up a showdown with conservative Republicans demanding it be paid for.

Congress’s last extension of unemployment benefits and COBRA health insurance subsidies for the unemployed expires on April 5. With a 9.7 percent jobless rate and lawmakers scheduled to begin a two-week recess this weekend, congressional Democrats said another short-term extension is necessary soon.

Senate Democrats will bring up a temporary extension of jobless benefits after they finish work this week on the healthcare reconciliation bill, said Regan LaChapelle, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

The previous monthlong extension was delayed beyond its expiration date earlier this month by Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.), who insisted that its $10 billion cost be offset. Democrats, who wanted to move the bill quickly through the upper chamber with the use of a unanimous-consent agreement, blasted Bunning and Republicans for endangering unemployment checks that some families rely on, even if it was just for a week.