Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester condemned U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky for holding up legislation that extends unemployment benefits to nearly 34,000 out-of-work Tennesseans and funds nearly $11 million worth of road projects here in the state.

Forrester is calling for Tennessee Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker to denounce the Kentucky senator’s action.

“People are getting tired of the games being played in Washington,” Forrester said. “We have too many hard-working families in this state who are struggling to make ends meet. Sen. Bunning shouldn’t punish people for being out of work because of a weak economy.

“Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker should be furious at Mr. Bunning for his shenanigans. Families are depending on those benefits to feed their children and pay their bills.”

Bunning today continued his objection to a bill that temporarily extends unemployment benefits and federal highway programs until April 5. Through measures enacted in the Recovery Act, states have been able to extend unemployment benefits for people who had exhausted their regular jobless benefits. The federal funding, however, expired on Sunday, Feb. 28.

Bunning’s objection also stops the disbursement of $768 million from the federal highway trust fund. As a result, the U.S. Department of Transportation furloughed 2,000 federal workers today, including inspectors overseeing highway projects on federal land.

The projects affected in Tennessee include work at Cades Cove Loop Road, tour routes and parking areas at Shiloh National Park and a bridge replacement at Catoosa Wildlife Management Area.

“As we face the most serious slowdown we have had since the Great Depression, it baffles me to see our friends over on the Republican side stoop to such petty and partisan politics,” Forrester said. “Too much is at stake here.

“Our nation and our state cannot afford this kind of stalemate. Let’s put aside our differences for a while and work together to get people back to work and this economy going again,” he added.