Today in Washington D. C. - June 13, 2008

On The Floor: The Senate is in recess until until 2 PM on Monday. A redo of the cloture vote on the motion to proceed to the House-passed tax extenders bill (H.R. 6049) is scheduled for 5:30 PM that day. Senate Republicans blocked the bill earlier in the week because it includes new tax increases. Yesterday, the Senate failed to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to the Medicare payments bill (S. 3101).

Congress can and should be doing something about the energy supply problem. But Democrats have repeatedly refused over many years to allow more domestic oil and gas production.

From Senate & News Sources: In an editorial today, Investor’s Business Daily estimates just how much oil is potentially available in the United States but is in areas that have been placed off-limits by Congress. IBD writes, “The biggest obstacle to putting more domestic oil in the pipeline is not economics or tech hurdles, though. It is the pro-OPEC, Democratic-majority, maddeningly irrational U.S. Congress.”

The Corner notes a press conference Senate Democrats will be holding today “to discuss what Democrats have done to strengthen the economy, address the energy crisis, cut taxes and create jobs.” Clearly, Kathryn Jean Lopez is correct in observing that it must be a short one.

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