WASHINGTON, DC - Senate Republicans led by Jim Bunning (R-KY) filibustered passage of critical legislation to extend expiring jobless benefits, health insurance subsidies, and tax breaks for small businesses beyond their February 28th expiration date. Due to the filibuster, Democrats are blocked from forcing a swift vote to help the unemployed. Next week Democrats will take up legislation that includes a longer extension of these benefits, but unemployment benefits and other initiatives will still be needlessly disrupted.

U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) decried the obstruction, and called for the Senate to move swiftly to extend these critical programs. Several Senate Republicans agree with Reed and Whitehouse and suggested that they did not support Senator Bunning's tactics.

"People looking for work shouldn't be part of a political, point-scoring effort. It is all the more outrageous given that Republicans repeatedly approved President Bush's budget busting tax cuts for the wealthiest, the unpaid war in Iraq, and a host of programs that led to the massive red ink we face today," said Reed, who recently introduced the Helping Unemployed Workers Act to extend unemployment insurance through the rest of the year. "Twelve hundred Rhode Islanders will start losing their benefits on Monday because Republicans are refusing to put people before partisanship. I will continue to fight for Rhode Islanders and Americans hit hardest by the recession so they can feed their families and keep their health insurance while they look for a job."

"I hear heart wrenching stories from Rhode Islanders every day who are suffering under the weight of our terrible economic climate," said Whitehouse. "People are losing their jobs, homes, and stability, and for many, the only reason they are still able to support their families is unemployment insurance. To play games with some of our most vulnerable to score cheap partisan points is unconscionable, and I am disheartened to see that our great chamber has come to the point where the nation's unemployed are used as pawns in the Republican's ongoing obstructionism."

Rhode Island currently has a 12.9% unemployment rate, and 50,000 Rhode Islanders are receiving unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.

The Temporary Extension Act of 2010 would have extended Federal Unemployment Programs, including the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program, through April 5th as well as the following programs through March 28th:

• COBRA Assistance - eligibility for 65% subsidy for COBRA premiums (including technical improvements);
• Medicare Physician Update - current Medicare payment rates for physicians (preventing a 21% payment reduction);
• Medicare Therapy Caps Exceptions - exceptions process for beneficiary payment limits on outpatient therapy services;
• Poverty Guidelines - the current provision maintaining 2009 poverty guidelines;
• Surface Transportation Programs and the related authority to make expenditures from the highway trust fund;
• National Flood Insurance Program;
• Small Business Loan Grantee Program (and appropriated an additional $60 million for the program); and
• Satellite Television Extension -the copyright license used by satellite television providers.