Bunning Blocks Jobless Benefits Extension

by Gabe BullardListen to NPR's coverage of this story here.Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning's blockage Friday of an extension of jobless benefits is unlikely to be felt by any recipients of those benefits this coming week.Bunning repeatedly objected to a 10 billion dollar bill that would, among other things, extend certain jobless benefits.Bunning objected because he didn't want to run up the national debt, and with the Senate adjourned for the weekend, jobless benefits will expire for hundreds of thousands of unemployed Americans.The unemployed can still file Monday for their entitled benefits for the week, but unless an extension is passed, those benefits will not be renewed next week.The program expiring offers several weeks of additional money after other benefits are exhausted. Other unemployment benefits will remain in place.Congress has traditionally extended unemployment benefits retroactively if they expire.