Boehner Backs Bunning

While Senate Republicans have started to bail on Sen. Jim Bunning and his one-man Senate filibuster, House Minority Leader John Boehner is backing the Kentucky Republican’s efforts to stall an unemployment benefits, COBRA and highway funding bill.

“I think Sen. Bunning has a legitimate argument he’s making. The Democrats just passed this pay-go legislation, and not even a week after the president signed it into law, they want to exempt the first bill that comes to the Senate floor,” Boehner said in a press conference Tuesday.

Earlier Tuesday, Sen. Susan Collins criticized the Bunning for holding up federal unemployment benefits, telling POLITICO that “Sen. Bunning’s views do not represent the majority of the Republican caucus.” Sen. Jim Inhofe said he was concerned about the political backlash that might stem from Bunning’s stand, which resulted in the furlough of thousands of Department of Transportation employees this week.