Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Why does Senator Obstruction, Jon Kyl, hate the working men and women of this country? Earlier this week he tried to filibuster the jobs bill and eventually voted against the bill. Now Senator Obstruction is once again obstructing an unemployment benefits extension (as he did last year) over — wait for it — the Paris Hilton Tax (estate tax).
That's right, Senator Obstruction is obstructing unemployment benefits to out-of-work Americans in danger of losing their homes and trying to feed their families because the uber-rich want the estate tax dealt with first. Mcjoan at Daily Kos posts Kyl Threatens to Block Unemployment Insurance Extension:
How despicable can these guys get? Unemployment insurance and COBRA subsidy extensions expire in three days. Reid stripped the extensions out of the jobs bill that just passed in order to keep the bill narrowly focused and get it passed, which worked. Reid attempted to bring a short term extension last night under unanimous consent, but was blocked by Bunning.
And now, Jon Kyl:
Well, it seems like at least one Republican is not, in fact, going to ensure that unemployed workers keep their benefits without first trying to cut taxes for the heirs of multi-millionaires:
On Wednesday, a top Republican leader said a deal on the bill would depend on working out the fate of the expired estate tax…Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said that Republicans will block consideration of the new bill unless they get “a path forward fairly soon” on the estate tax.
“I will insist on an agreement on how to proceed [on the estate tax], if we’re going to have unanimous consent on how to proceed with any of these subsequent bills,” said Kyl.
Paris Hilton matters more to Jon Kyl than millions of unemployed workers who are on the verge of losing what is for many their sole means of financial support. Jon Kyl's phone numbers are: (202) 224-4521, (602) 840-1891, and (520) 575-8633. You can e-mail his office using this form.