Who's Affected by Senate Squabbling? A Long List

WASHINGTON (March 2) -- Washington's political squabbles hit home this week for unemployed workers, some construction workers, doctors who treat senior citizens and Department of Transportation employees.

Federal aid that affects them was held up starting Monday when Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., single-handedly held up legislation extending nearly $15 billion in programs. Bunning called Democrats hypocrites for passing legislation that requires they pay for new programs, then turning around and pushing the unemployment compensation bill as emergency spending without full funding.

As senators tried to solve the impasse Tuesday, Democrats launched a counterattack. "People are stunned," said Scott Mulhauser, spokesman for Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee, which proposed the legislation. "Jim Bunning has become the face of the frustration of a lot of people who want to get something done in Washington."

Many of the programs affected have been operating under a temporary extension until lawmakers can agree on long-term funding. But when no new extension was granted last week, the programs ground to a halt at midnight Sunday.

Here's who's affected:

The more than 28,000 people each day who run out of unemployment compensation benefits. Programs that extended benefits for those still jobless after 26 weeks are put on hold.

Everyone receiving unemployment compensation. They will lose the $25 per week extra they have been receiving since the economy faltered.

Jobless workers who want help continuing their health benefits under the COBRA law.

Transportation workers. As of Monday morning, 200,000 Department of Transportation workers were furloughed without pay. Their jobs were paid for through the Highway Trust Fund affected by the stalled legislation. The furloughs, according to DOT, will disrupt safety programs such as those that target drunken or distracted driving.

Construction workers for certain projects on federal lands. From the Tongass National Forest in Alaska to Sequoia National Forest in California to Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi, work came to a halt because federal inspectors were furloughed.

Doctors across the country who treat Medicare patients. Congress has been tackling Medicare funding problems through short-term measures to stave off major cuts in what doctors are reimbursed for treating elderly patients. Now that has expired and doctors will see their repayments from Medicare cut 21 percent. Medicare officials will wait about two weeks to process the paperwork so that if Congress acts before then, the doctors won't see the pay cut.

Rural television junkies. Without legislation giving copyright authority, satellite providers can't carry broadcast programming.

Poor people. The federal poverty level would drop to a lower level so some poor people applying for programs like food stamps and home heating aid will no longer be eligible.

Bunning and Democratic leaders went back and forth Tuesday about how to bring the bill to a vote. Bunning said Democrats could bring the bill up without his support if they just wait through the cloture process. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he didn't want to wait the week or so that that would take.

Bunning proposed paying for the unemployment bill by cutting funding for stimulus programs and said he didn't want to leave more debt for his grandchildren. After fighting the battle mostly alone, he got some support Tuesday afternoon from Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, who said money should be found to fund the programs instead of adding to the federal debt. Democrats, DeMint said, "are declaring an emergency at the last minute to ram it through."

"This is not emergency spending. It is entirely predictable," DeMint said.

But Reid said Bunning hadn't raised the same concerns about deficit spending under President Bush, whom he said ran up trillions in debt.

Even if lawmakers resolve the standoff this week, jobless workers may be without help for longer because of bureaucratic delays from dealing with the mess, said Christine Owens of the National Employment Law Project. More than 40 percent of jobless people have been out of work for more than six months, according to NELP.

"A few days' lapse in authorization could mean a month without benefits for individuals. This is a kick in the gut for many, many people," said Owens.