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Lt. Governor Daniel Mongiardo, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, will lead two public protests of Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning’s decision to single-handedly stop the funding of unemployment and health insurance benefits for more than 119,230 Kentuckians.

Two thousand federal transportation workers were furloughed without pay on Monday. Federal reimbursements to states for highway programs will also be halted, the Transportation Department said in a statement late Sunday. The reimbursements amount to about $190 million a day,
according to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The gridlock in the Senate triggered a 21 percent cut in Medicare fees to doctors Monday, as the American Medical Association warned of a "meltdown" for seniors and the Obama administration scrambled to contain the damage.

The furloughs and freeze on payments were the result of a decision last week by Republican Bunning to block passage of legislation that would have extended federal highway and transit programs, the department said. Those programs expired at midnight Sunday.

The extension of transportation programs was part of a larger package of government programs that also expired Sunday, including unemployment benefits for about 400,000 Americans.

Bunning objected to the $10 billion measure, saying it would add to the budget deficit. He didn't respond to a request Monday for comment.

The impasse has provided the administration with an opening to excoriate Republicans for allowing popular programs to run out, even if only for a short time.

"As American families are struggling in tough economic times, I am keenly disappointed that political games are putting a stop to important construction projects around the country," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

Tuesday's protests will be held at noon at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park across from Bunning's office in the Federal Building in Louisville. The Lexington protest will be at 3 p.m. on Corporate Drive on the steps in front of Bunning’s Lexington office.

Associated Press Wire Services Contributed To This Story