Today in Washington D. C. - Oct 29, 2007

From Senate sources: John Spratt (D-SC), House Budget Committee chair, said Friday he thinks Democrats will support House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel’s (D-NY) $1 trillion tax plan. But Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell said that he considers that plan “dead on arrival” in the Senate. House GOP Leader John Boehner has an op-ed in The Examiner discussing all the problematic provisions of the Rangel proposal.

According to CQ Today, Democrats still have not decided which spending bill will be the first they send to the president. Not since 1987 has Congress failed to pass even one appropriations bill this late into the year.

Meanwhile, the Senate Judiciary Committee still has not held a vote on Judge Michael Mukasey’s nomination to be attorney general. Some Democrats seem to be frustrated that they could not get Mukasey to explicitly condemn waterboarding as an interrogation technique. Today The Wall Street Journal admonishes Democrats for playing politics with Mukasey.

On The Floor: Senate reconvenes at 3 PM today {don't you love their hours}. Will resume consideration of the Amtrak reauthorization bill (S. 294). The bill would authorize $11.4 billion for Amtrak over six years, mandate a strategic overhaul of Amtrak, and direct the government to refinance Amtrak’s $3 billion debt. Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) expects work on the bill to be finished on Tuesday. A number of amendments are pending including one by Sen. Allard (R-CO) to retain a law requiring Amtrak to become self-sufficient.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has filed cloture on the motion to proceed to the House’s barely altered SCHIP bill (H.R. 3963). A vote is likely later in the week. Note prior post House of Hypocrisy over SCHIP.

Among other bills that could be considered this week are a bill concerning Native American health issues and the Native Hawaiian government bill. Note prior posts: Hawaii Five-0-Five - Aloha to the Constitution and The Hawaiian Government Bill - Based on Race.

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Tags: Amtrak, Charlie Rangel, Hawaiian Government bill, increased taxes, John Boehner, Michael Mukasey, Mitch McConnell, SCHIP, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!