CNN 2010-03-07

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let's start with Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky. Oh, boy, can you tell that he and his middle finger are not running for re-election? That's right. He is the one person standing¹ between millions of jobless Americans and their money.

He says it's about fiscal² responsibility, others say he picked the wrong time and the wrong issue to make his point.

SEN. JIM BUNNING (R), KENTUCKY: If we can't find $10 billion to pay for something that we all support, we will never pay for anything on the floor of this U.S. Senate.

SEN. HARRY³ REID (D), MAJORITY LEADER: What we need is to recognize that there are poor people all over America who are desperate today.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks, Bunning, we're looking it for foreclosure.

PHILLIPS: There are so many layers to this story. We are going to try and peel them all back. Stuff to think about. Does Senator Bunning have a good point about the $10 billion package, or is he just bitter carrying out a kind of scorched⁴ earth policy after his own party didn't back his re-election bid?

Can't Democrats⁵ just work around them? Is he hurting Republicans? And most importantly, who's getting the shaft⁶? We're talking about people who need unemployment benefits to get by. Transportation workers, basically home on the couch because federal inspectors⁷ are now on furlough. But there are other projects are in limbo⁸, too, including small business loans on hold.

Of course all this might be cleared up by tomorrow night in time for Senator Bunning to watch Kentucky play basketball in Georgia. He has made it clear that he loves his Cats.

All right, let's go back to some of those layers. Here's CNN senior congressional correspondent Dana Bash.

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a package of $10 billion to extend funding for laid-off workers, road projects and more. But one senator, Kentucky's Jim Bunning, is blocking it. And he angrily refused to answer questions about why.

.... for people unemployed⁹?

BUNNING: Excuse me. I've gotta go to the floor.

Senator, can you just explain to us why you're holding this up? I'm sure you have an explanation.

BUNNING: Excuse me!

Are you concerned about those that are going to lose their benefits?

Guess we have our answer.

 OK.

BASH: Bunning's move is having a real world effect. Construction workers here started their morning on the job, rebuilding a bridge outside Washington. But as the clock ticked towards noon workers on this $36 million project were told to stop and leave. The site locked up.