Coburn Holds Up Stopgap Bill To Extend Benefits To Jobless

NewsOn6.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Americans who have been out of a job for six months could run out of benefits, at least for a little while.

Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn is holding up a stopgap bill that would extend jobless benefits.

Sen. Coburn says the $9 billion it will take to finance the bill should not be added to the national debt. Instead he wants extended benefits to be financed with leftover money from last year's economic stimulus bill.

"The American people and the rest of the world understand that our debt and deficits are as much of an emergency as our unemployment rate," Coburn said. "The American people also understand the best unemployment benefit is a job."

Lawmakers say they'll try to restore the benefits after the Senate's Easter Break.

Sen. Coburn will also be holding a series of town hall meetings in Oklahoma to take questions and address important issues for Oklahoma and the nation at each event.

"I encourage everyone to attend and participate in these town halls. These settings give me an important opportunity to hear directly from the Oklahomans I am representing, and they provide a chance for Oklahomans to hear my views on current legislation in Congress," said Coburn.

Cherokee Town Hall meeting

• Monday, March 29, 2010
• 3 – 4 p.m.
• Alfalfa County Farm Bureau
• 113 S. Grand
• Cherokee, OK 73728

Oklahoma City Town Hall

• Wednesday, March 31, 2010
• 2 – 3 p.m.
• Metro Technology Center
• Springlake Campus Auditorium
• 1900 Springlake Dr.
• (NW of 36th and Martin Luther King, Jr.)
• Oklahoma City, OK