Tony Perkins' FRC Washington Update: The Washington area had its first dusting of snow this morning, but it's the flurries inside the Capitol that have people talking. With less than five days to go before Sen. Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) December 17 deadline, there's a mad scramble to tie-up dozens of legislative loose ends before the new Congress rings in the New Year. Tax cuts top the list, especially for Senate leaders who are impatient to get these votes out of the way so they can work on their social agenda. Although Americans desperately need some certainty on the issue, Sen. Reid is starting to see the tax debate as an obstacle to his personal priorities: paying back the people who helped him avoid embarrassment on Election Day. According to the Wall Street Journal, there's no shortage of groups to thank. Think the timing of the DREAM Act is a coincidence? How about Internet gambling or new firefighters' bargaining rights? Hardly. "Exit polls from Nevada showed Mr. Reid won two-thirds of the Hispanic vote, and 69% of union households, and the state's casino industry was particularly active in turning out the vote and raising money for his campaign." Sen. Reid isn't rushing home to send Christmas cards when he can stay in Washington and deliver holiday favors--all on your dime!
Instead of piggybacking on the House's continuing resolution (which keeps the government running until Congress can pass a budget), Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) is reportedly rolling everything into one gigantic goodie bag. Turning the continuing resolution into an omnibus bill would free up the Senate to add earmarks. Not surprisingly, President Obama prefers that route. "An omnibus bill," said one White House official, "would enable the government to get on a prudent fiscal path..." Erik Wasson of The Hill jabbed that his source didn't elaborate on how excess spending was more "prudent."
Of course, neither chamber would be on this path if Democrats had bothered to pass a single appropriations bill. While they were experts at busting the budget, they couldn't seem to pass one--marking the first time in 36 years that Congress failed to perform its primary duty. The House voted through a $1.1 trillion CR last Wednesday, but by a much narrower margin than expected (212-206). Members also shaved $45.9 billion off the President's request, which may explain why he's pushing for the omnibus. One of the snags that Sen. Reid is up against may be the bill's time-table. Republicans, who are next in line for the Speaker's gavel, want a quicker end-date to the bill so that they can start carving away at the spending sooner. Democrats, on the other hand, want to fatten up the funding long-term so that their projects are protected from a stingier GOP. Who will blink first? Stay tuned.
Tags: Tony Perkins, Washington Update, federal spending, squandering, spending, Harry Reid To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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