Yesterday, rejected an amendment from from Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) to make FEMA grants competitively bid, regardless of congressional earmarks. However, the Senate agreed to an amendment to the Homeland Security appropriations bill from Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) to require the completion of at least 700 miles of border fencing by the end of 2010. In addition, the Senate stopped an motion to table an amendment by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) then passed the amendment by voice vote to make E-Verify permanent -- 12 Democrats and 1 Independent defied Party leadership and voted with all 40 Republicans to:
| All 40 Republicans Voted For E-Verify Democrats who Switched to Support E-Verify: Kent Conrad (D-ND) Bryon Dorgan (D-ND) Kay Hagan (D-NC) Mary Landrieu (D-LA) Joe Lieberman (I/D-CN) Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) Mark Pryor (D-AR) John Rockefeller (D-WV) | Democrats who already Supported E-Verfy: Max Baucus (D-MT) Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Claire McCaskill (D-MO) Ben Nelson (D-NE) John Tester (D-MT) Backsliders voting with other Democrats Against American Workers: Evan Bayh (D-IN) Jim Webb (D-VA) |
In a must-read article, The Washington Post writes today, “The Obama administration, hoping to boost its health-care reform effort with financial concessions from the hospital and pharmaceutical industries, is instead confronting deep dissension on several fronts within Democratic ranks and possible defections among key constituencies.”
Politico reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid jumped into negotiations among Finance Committee Democrats struggling to produce a health reform bill to announce that Democrat leaders are not open to taxing health benefits in order to pay for such a bill. Politico writes, “Reid’s move blows a gigantic hole in efforts to find $1 trillion to pay for health reform - and set off a scramble Wednesday to come up with a replacement for the suddenly missing $320 billion over 10 years.”
Energy Bill - Cap-in-Trade (aka Crap&Tax): Meanwhile, House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA), “lead House architect of the landmark health legislation, warned yesterday that he is not obligated to abide by deals struck recently by the White House, Senate Finance Committee, industry executives and interest groups such as AARP,” according to The Washington Post. But the White House came down hard on Waxman in what Politico deemed an “unusually stark rebuke,” claiming, “We are absolutely part of these agreements and bound by them.” Can you believe that AARP is interfering in government and on the side of higher taxes and nationalized health care? Apparently the libtards have assumed all the key positions at AARP, worship Obama and screw-over their membership.
Waxman is not the only one raising questions about these supposed deals. The Washington Post described the deal with drug companies, which Waxman questioned, as “managed for maximum public relations exposure.” And Roll Call said that it was “unclear how it would directly benefit the health reform effort.” That seems to be the common thread among all the White House’s announcements of deals with health groups to produce “savings.”
Sure enough, The Associated Press reported that yesterday’s deal with major hospital associations, announced by Vice President Joe Biden, “may also be on shaky ground.” What do we expect if "shaky" Biden is announcing something? Biden has been shaking since he met Sarah Palin in the 2009 V.P. Debate.
And The Washington Post noted today that the deal “was quickly undermined by skepticism in the industry. . . .‘Everyone can say we need to reform the system,’ said one state hospital official, who requested anonymity to discuss the internal rift. ‘But when you start to look at the details of how you do that, that’s when you get the rats scurrying off the ship. That’s what’s happening now.’” The article in The Post goes on to note the limited nature of the agreement between drug companies and the AARP and notes several state hospitals oppose yesterday’s deal.
In stark contrast to the Democrats’ infighting over tax increases and the White House’s troublesome PR efforts, Senate Republicans are standing tall and calling for the right kind of reform, that “make[s] health care less expensive and easier to obtain without destroying what’s good about our system.” The Republican Senate doctors, Tom Coburn, M.D. of Oklahoma, and John Barrasso, M.D. of Wyoming are launching a live online show today to discuss Republican ideas for health reform and explain why the Democrats’ approach is the wrong one for America.
Tags: AARP, doctors, e-verify, Homeland Security, nationalized health care, US Congress, US Senate, Washington D.C., Where's the Fence, border security To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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