Dems challenge Ensign on impasse over jobless benefits

Democrats have moved forcefully in Washington this week to define the Senate impasse over unemployment benefits as one pitting people who care about suffering Americans (Democrats) against those supposedly who do not (Republicans).

In that vein, the Nevada Democratic Party today issued a statement challenging Republican Sen. John Ensign to speak out against Sen. Jim Bunning, the Kentucky Republican who is singlehandedly holding up a bill to extend expiring jobless payments.

"It’s unclear why Sen. Ensign has remained silent on the issue, which affects more than 1 million Americans and tens of thousands of Nevadans who have been unemployed for more than six months," the Democrats said.

“Staying silent on the disgusting and heartless obstructionist tactics being used by one Republican in Washington is as bad as joining him in his opposition to doing the right thing for unemployed Americans – including 20,000 Nevadans,” said Phoebe Sweet, the party's communications director.

Ensign stayed silent. His office did not respond to calls and emails to discuss the issue.

Bunning has repeatedly objected to Senate completion of a bill to extend for one month the expiring jobless benefits and a 65 percent health care subsidy for the unemployed, as well as averting a 21 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements to doctors.

The Kentucky senator, who is retiring this year, said he would support the bill but believes its $10 billion cost should be offset by cuts elsewhere.

He said Congress passed a "pay as you go" bill just a few weeks ago and already is finding ways around it.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the law allows for emergency spending, of which helping people put food on the table while they look for work qualifies.

"For decades we know that there are certain emergencies that come up in this country," Reid told reporters on Tuesday. " There are crops that are flooded, farmers run out of business. We have fires. We have all kinds of emergencies that we don't pay for.

"One of the emergencies we've recognized for many, many years is people who are out of work," Reid said.

Reid introduced a bill Monday that would make jobless benefits retroactive to cover the delay in completing the legislation.

A handful of Republicans, including Sens. Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Jon Kyl of Arizona, have defended Bunning as sticking up for his principles

But other Republicans believe this is the wrong issue on which to take a stand on "pay as you go," and they fear they will suffer a political backlash. More began speaking out on Tuesday.

Meanwhile other Nevada Democrats have joined a loud chorus in criticizing Bunning in particular and Republicans in general for not reining him.

Rep. Shelley Berkley on Tuesday focused on a 21 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements to doctors that the legislation would have reversed.

Instead, she said, seniors and military families covered under the Pentagon's TRICARE health program risk losing access to their doctors.

“I am appalled at the total disregard by Republicans for the health care needs of those in the military covered under TRICARE, and by the lack of concern being shown for seniors and others covered under Medicare," Berkley said. "And I am stunned by the failure of Republicans to listen to America’s doctors who say this is bad for their patients.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., told the Las Vegas Sun that Bunning's actions "are a perfect example of why the American people think Washington is broken."