by James Parks, Mar 3, 2010
The U.S. Senate passed a desperately needed extension of unemployment insurance (UI) and COBRA health care benefits last night after Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) ended his one-man roadblock to the legislation.
Bunning began a filibuster last Friday that halted a UI extension for millions of America’s jobless workers. By blocking the UI bill, Bunning caused the furlough of 2,000 transportation workers, halted construction on 41 economic recovery projects in 17 states, forced doctors to take big cuts in Medicare payments and left 200,000 jobless Americans without COBRA.
