Washington
Working people are watching with growing frustration as the basic functioning of the United States Congress continues to deteriorate. Despite their large majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate, Democrats cannot muster enough unity to push aside the Republican roadblocks on any front. This sorry performance -- exemplified by the weakness and paralysis of Senate Democratic leadership -- has only emboldened the worsening obstructionism of the pro-business Republican minority.
Republican Senator Jim Bunning (KY) launched the latest attack on working people -- and the latest challenge to the disorganized Democrats -- with a procedural roadblock that has cut off an extension of unemployment benefits to more than one million workers. Bunning claims that he is concerned about how Congress intends to pay for the benefits, despite the fact that he has faithfully supported the squandering of more than one trillion dollars of taxpayer money on the invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan -- never asking how these wars would be paid for. Bunning plans to retire at the end of the year, and his disgraceful attack on the jobless is a calculated test of the Democrats resolve. Senate Republicans are closely following this planned battle, yet another test of the Democrats willingness and ability to defend working people even while they possess a majority of votes in the Senate.
NOTE TO THOSE UE MEMBERS POTENTIALLY AFFECTED BY THIS SITUATION: Continue to file for your benefits as you would normally. DO NOT FAIL TO FILE, as it is hoped that this situation will be resolved sometime in March. CONTINUE TO FILE UNTIL THIS IS RESOLVED, OR UNTIL YOUR STATE UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE ADVISES YOU TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Public outcry against this attack on the unemployed may very well push Senate Democrats to overcome this outrage. All UE members are encouraged to call your Senators and tell them to act immediately to restore unemployment benefits and remove this Republican roadblock. Reach your Senators by calling the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121 -- ask to be connected to the offices of the two senators from your state.
On the healthcare reform front, Congressional Democrats and President Obama are now huddling to discuss whether or not they intend to push forward with their badly deteriorated healthcare reform bill. The current version includes both the objectionable benefits excise tax as well as totally inadequate penalties on employers who refuse to provide, or who cancel health insurance benefits for employers. Should Democrats find themselves unable to muster the unity to crash through the Bunning unemployment compensation roadblock then it is highly unlikely that they will be able to move forward with the health care legislation.
Action on the current healthcare bill being presented by President Obama -- the topic of discussion at the day-long White House healthcare summit on February 25 -- may begin in either the House of Representatives or the Senate. No matter where it begins, both bodies must pass the same bill before it can be signed into law by the president. Democrats continue to waste valuable time by refusing to use the majority (50+1) vote procedure known as "reconciliation", which would bypass the current Republican roadblocks which are forcing a full 60-vote super majority on practically all Senate votes.