Now, a Republican has entered the fray, and not on the side you'd expect. After days of Democrats hammering on Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., to end his objection to legislation that would extend unemployment benefits a Republican has  spoken up, too.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, took to the Senate floor Tuesday and urged Bunning to withdraw his objection to the $10 billion piece of legislation. “Sen. Bunning’s views do not represent a majority of the Republican caucus,” Collins said.

What's this all about? Last week, Senate leaders tried to pass legislation that would do a couple of things at once. It would provide unemployment benefits to the longterm unemployed and it would extend several government programs and offices, primarily involved with federal highway construction. Majority Leader Harry Reid considered these matters urgent and tried to pass this by unanimous consent, which is a method used for noncontroversial legislation. In the House they call it passing something by voice vote, rather than taking the time to record individual yays and nays.

The House, in fact, did pass the $10 billion legislation by voice vote. But Bunning is refusing to let the Senate pass it by unanimous consent. He wants a vote, which means the legislation would need at least 60 supporters to survive a potential filibuster.

His objection is that the bill doesn't explain how the $10 billion will be 'offset' by cuts elsewhere in the budget.

This story first appeared on CQ Politics.