And we can thank Tom Coburn for this:
Extended unemployment benefits will temporarily expire for thousands of Americans on Monday because the Senate went on its spring recess without approving a one-month deadline extension.
The extension, which had bipartisan support, would have cost about $10 billion, but a lone Republican, Sen. Tom Coburn, said no until the costs are offset.
The Oklahoma senator objected to a commonly used unanimous-consent agreement to pass the bill under emergency conditions, even if it increases the federal deficit. Coburn wants to eliminate additional government spending to pay for the bill.
Could you imagine if a Democrat did this on one of Bush’s bills for the Iraq War? People like Tom Coburn didn’t mind draining the bank book for that, but if a Democrat did block it, we would hear cries of traitor and treason from the right.
But here’s something to ponder. A lot of the Tea Party people are unemployed. I wonder how many will see their benefits dry up today because of Coburn? I also wonder who quickly the Republicans will try to shift blame to the Democrats on this and if the Tea Party people will buy into it? In those two questions pose the reality that Tea Party people don’t really know what is happening in the government, or what the two parties really stand for.