Sen. Jim Bunning has placed an additional hold on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's nomination to a second term.



Bunning's office confirmed that the Kentucky Republican is joining with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who caucuses with Democrats, to seek to block Bernanke's confirmation to a second term atop the Federal Reserve Board.



Bernanke has come under fire from lawmakers on the left and the right, who have expressed varying concerns about his record as Fed chairman, though his course to a second term was eased somewhat on Thursday when a number of members of the Senate Banking Committee, including Chairman Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), expressed support for him during a confirmation hearing.



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Bunning blasted Bernanke, whose nomination he did not support when President George W. Bush nominated him, during the Banking hearing.“I will do everything I can to stop your nomination, and drag out this process as long as I can," Bunning said.Sanders announced he'd place a hold, an informal parliamentary move in which a senator seeks to prevent bringing a nomination to the floor for a vote, on Bernanke on Wednesday evening."Notre Dame just fired a coach with a 6-6 record," Sanders told reporters Thursday. "Well, Ben Bernanke had much worse than a 6-6 record."The liberal blog firedoglake first reported on Thursday that one or two Republican senators had placed an anonymous hold on Bernanke's nomination.