Richard Jones of Brookfield spent four months in Louisiana helping communities rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. Now, he needs a little help himself, but a lone U.S. senator is blocking the way.
Jones, 29, is among the 15,000 Illinoisans whose unemployment benefits expire today because of a filibuster by U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) Bunning is using Senate rules to block a vote to fund extended benefits for people nationwide who have exhausted the basic 26 weeks of coverage.
Even with an unemployment check, it has been hard to make ends meet, said Jones, a former trucking supervisor jobless since January 2009. "All my savings is gone," he said. "If I hurt myself, I can't even go to the doctor."
Jones has a bachelor's degree in urban planning, which he put to use working with a private contractor on post-Katrina rebuilding in 2005. Nowadays, he said, he has a hard time getting callbacks despite an incessant job hunt.
He joined U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) at a press conference Sunday to highlight the benefits cutoff, which also applies to subsidies under the Cobra health program.
Bunning has held up a vote, challenging Democrats to find $10 billion in savings somewhere so its cost won't add to the deficit. His tactic has thwarted those who want to fund the extended benefits at least through March 31.
Durbin said he will return to the Senate today to ask Bunning to drop the filibuster. If the Republican does not relent, the Senate could save the legislation with parliamentary moves, but benefits still would be interrupted, perhaps for weeks, Durbin said.
"I know we are in tough times with our deficit and with our debt, but we are a caring nation," Durbin said. Citing the Illinois unemployment rate of 11.1 percent, Durbin said, "This is truly an economic emergency in our time."
People unemployed for an extended period can qualify for benefits for up to 99 weeks. In Illinois, with 550,000 drawing unemployment checks, the first 26 weeks comes from an insurance program funded by employers, while the federal government picks up the rest.
Durbin spoke at the Chicago Workforce Center, a job referral service at 1700 W. 18th St. operated by the National Able Network. Grace Jenkins, president of the network, said 500 to 700 people use the location per day.
Also facing a cutoff is David Seanior, 29, of Chatham, out of work since losing a job at AT&T in August 2008. He has a fiancee and a 3-year-old daughter. The long job hunt has "become very taxing on my confidence as a man," he said.
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