Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
House of Representatives

House Moves to Repay U.S. DOT Workers Furloughed by Bunning Filibuster

The House voted today to compensate nearly 2,000 U.S. DOT workers who were forcibly furloughed last week when Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) mounted a five-day blockade of legislation extending federal transportation spending for the month of March.

art.bunning.gi.pngSen. Jim Bunning's (R-KY) one-man filibuster kept U.S. DOT workers off the job for two days. (Photo: CNN)

The repayment bill, passed without a recorded vote, would prevent the furloughed workers from getting a 20 percent salary cut in their next paychecks. The Senate must act on the bill before March 16 to prevent the cuts from occurring.

"When you are taking home $900
over a two-week period, a $300 cut can be devastating," House transport committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN), the bill's sponsor, said in a speech before its approval. "These cuts would be difficult enough in good economic times. Amidst the current economic downturn, they would be particularly painful."

Bunning argued that the extension of existing transportation law, which came coupled with five weeks of stopgap funding for unemployment benefits, should be fully paid for -- despite his past support for similar unpaid extension measures. He ultimately relented after a tumult of media coverage began to give Democrats political momentum in their campaign against frequent Republican use of the filibuster.

The U.S. DOT compensation bill is fully paid for, Oberstar's office said in a statement, thanks to a shift in already-approved spending authority for the agency.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Breaking: US DOT Pulls Grants For Projects That Aren’t Focused on Cars

The Trump administration bias for "vehicular travel" — and the burning of fossil fuels that it requires — rears its ugly head again.

September 16, 2025

Seattle’s Human Population Is Up, But Its Car Population Isn’t

Urbanists have long been making that case that growth in Seattle is the most climate-friendly and easiest to support with transit and infrastructure. And it's happening.

September 16, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Stay Safe

Political rhetoric notwithstanding, you're much safer on a bus or a train than in a car, or walking or biking near cars.

September 16, 2025

Monday’s Headlines Are Going to M-A-R-S, Mars!

Acting NASA director Sean Duffy apparently has too much on his plate to do any research into transit safety.

September 15, 2025

How Millions For Transit, Walking, and Biking Could Vanish On Sept. 30

The Trump administration may be deliberately slow-walking contracts for hard-earned transportation dollars.

September 15, 2025
See all posts