Congressman Rick Crawford (R-AR) and House Republicans in the past weeks have called on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to live up to his title and lead. In February, the House passed a long-term continuing resolution that funds the government through September, which never passed the Senate due to Leader Reid’s inaction.
Today, Rick Crawford voted for a one-week continuing resolution that would cut spending by $12 billion and fund the troops through the end of the fiscal year. An Army Veteran Crawford said, “It is Congress’s responsibility to fund the government and the troops. This bill will successfully cut spending, protect the troops, and fund the government while we wait on Senator Harry Reid to come to the table and pass a long-term continuing resolution. This fight is not about placing blame, but taking responsibility. All of us, House and Senate, were elected to represent and protect Americans. This bill is critical and I look forward to the Senate passing it to ensure the government keeps running and the troops are protected.”
Before the vote, the White House warned that President Obama would veto the measure if it reached his desk. When did a Past President veto a funding bill for being responsible and reducing unnecessary government spending. Somehow Obama and his staff have missed the message that the United States is Broke.
--------------
Today in Washington, D.C. - April 7, 2011:
The Senate might continue work later today on S. 493, the bill reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.
Yesterday, the Senate voted on 4 amendments to S. 493 concerning the EPA’s regulatory overreach to apply the Clean Air Act to greenhouse gases.
All three Democrat amendments, which didn’t even block the EPA regulations, were rejected by overwhelming majorities. The Baucus amendment, which simply exempted some farms, was rejected by a vote of 7-93. The Stabenow amendment, which provided other agricultural exemptions, was also rejected by a vote of 7-93. And the Rockefeller amendment, which simply delayed the EPA regulations by 2 years, was rejected by a vote of 12-88.
Unfortuantely, the McConnell-Inhofe amendment which would have prevented this backdoor national energy tax (never authorized by Congress) also fell 10 votes short of the 60 needed for passage.
Following those votes, the Senate voted 100-0 to adopt an amendment from Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) to cut unemployment benefit payments for millionaires. What we found something for the Dems to agree with the GOP over: The Million Dollar line in the sand: What, no unemployment for the richest football players? Just, a minute is this a "policy rider" that teh Democrates approve of - more later on policy riders?
Also adopted, by a vote of 64-36, was a Coburn amendment to require the OMB to eliminate or consolidate duplicative government programs identified in a March GAO report. Imagine, we even had to tell OMB to do their job. Hope their embarrassed and hope a few jobs are cut by this action. Drop in the budget but at least it is a drop.
An alternative amendment from Sen. Dan Inouye (D-HI), which would have ordered a report about defunding duplicative programs, failed to reach the required 60 votes by a vote of 57-43. We really don't need more wasted paperwork - we need cuts in duplicative programs.
Politico reports today, “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday morning that he was ‘not nearly as optimistic’ about striking a budget deal as he was last night when he left an Oval Office meeting with Speaker of the House John Boehner. . . . ‘I am not nearly as optimistic as I was 11 hours ago,’ Reid said, adding of a government shutdown that ‘it looks like it’s headed in that direction.’ Negotiators have until midnight Friday to strike a deal to fund the government and avert a shutdown.”
Politico also notes, “The House is slated to vote on a one-week stopgap measure paired with a full fiscal year funding of the Department of Defense that Democrats already have said is a non-starter. That measure also includes a provision defunding abortion services in the District of Columbia.” Gee the staffers must be lobbying their bosses to keep free abortions in the District. Either that or bunch of racists like that more black baby's are being aborted than other race. What does that say about both Washington, D.C. and Planned Parenthood?
Jonathan Allen in an article today titled "In past, Dems embraced policy riders," hits the proverbial nail on the head. Allen points out:
"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and President Barack Obama hate policy riders.Unless, of course, they’re Democratic policy riders. . . .One wonders if the current administration is implementing the practice of the BIG LIE in their attempts to obscure facts. Allen's article revealed the hypocrisy practiced by the Democrats like Sen. Harry Reid and President Obama who is threatening to veto of the latest House Continuing Resolution - thus shutting down the government. We are seeing the Obama tantrum approach verses the Truman "buck stops here approach."
They have no place in spending bills, the top Democrats have said during the latest budget debate. 'We’re happy to debate these, but on a legislative vehicle, not a spending vehicle,' Reid said Thursday. . . . in 2009, . . . President Barack Obama and then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi loaded such riders onto a government-funding bill similar to the one now being negotiated. . . .
Among the legislative items Democrats attached to that spending measure were:
* A long-desired abortion-rights provision making birth-control pills and devices cheaper for Planned Parenthood and other family-planning clinics who provide them to students on college campuses and poor women. Originally, an effort had been made to include that rider on an emergency supplemental spending bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and was removed amid political pressure.
* The repeal of a school-voucher program in the District of Columbia that is close to the heart of the current speaker, John Boehner.
* A relaxation of restrictions on travel to Cuba.
* Reid’s pet project: Delaying the development of Yucca Mountain as a nuclear waste storage site through spending cuts and legislative language; and
* A provision designed to facilitate the implementation of taxpayer-funded health benefits for the same-sex partners of federal employees.
“Policy restrictions are a routine part of spending bills. Senate Democratic Leaders – and President Obama – have supported hundreds, if not thousands of them, including on CRs,” . . .
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell responded to Reid's comment explaining that House Republicans are offering a very reasonable stopgap measure that funds the government for another week to allow for a deal to be finalized, cuts spending, and funds out troops for the next 6 months. McConnell said, “Throughout this debate, Republicans have consistently said that we prefer a bipartisan agreement that keeps the government running and provides critical funding and certainty for our troops. That is what we have been working toward all along, and that is exactly what the bill that House Republicans are expected to pass today will do. Importantly, this bill will also include a modest reduction in Washington spending — a reduction well within the range that even Democrat leaders have described as reasonable. In fact, the bill that House Republicans will send over to the Senate today is nothing more than a smaller version of the larger bill that Democrats say that they want.”
McConnell elaborated, “The Obama administration and the Secretary of Defense have said that they need an annual defense bill; the House bill we’ll get today does that. Senate Democrats have said they want the government to keep running; the House bill we’ll get today does that. Democrat leaders have identified a number of cuts that they believe are ‘reasonable’; the spending cuts in the House bill that we’ll get today go no farther. Democrat leaders have said they wanted no controversial policy riders; the policy provisions in this bill are provisions that members of the Democrat leadership have already voted for, and that the President himself has previously signed into law.”
And yet, the word out of the White House is that President Obama has threatened to veto this bill, according to CBS’ Mark Knoller. He also reports that the White House calls the very reasonable House bill “a distraction.” What happened to the "other" Obama that said a government shutdown would be inexcusable. It appears that both Barack Obama and thus the White House staff are finding lots of petty reasons to make the inexcusable very excusable for them. Another example of failed leadership by President Obama.
Leader McConnell provided a summary of the situation that Democrats now face: “[H]ere’s the bottom line. This bill does everything Democrats have previously said they want. It cuts Washington spending by an amount that Democrat leaders believe is reasonable. The policy prescriptions it contains have been previously agreed to by Democrat leaders and signed by the President. And, most importantly, this is the only proposal out there that keeps the government open.”
“In other words, If a shutdown does occur, Democrat have no one to blame but themselves — because they have done nothing whatsoever to prevent it. Since they have produced no alternative to the bill that the House is sending over today, this is the only proposal currently on the table that will keep the government open.”
“So there are two options at this point: Democrats can either take up and pass this reasonable bill that falls well within the bounds of what their own leadership has defined as acceptable. Or shut down the government. That’s it. That’s the choice.”
Message to Senate Democrats: You have a free pass - vote for the Continuing Resolution and see what your fearless leader is actually willing to do. The government is allegedly headed for a shutdown if you vote "no" or if Obama vetoes the bill. Let our "buck stops here" President be responsible for his own decision! Vote for the Troops, keep 800,000 "nonessential" federal government workers working, keep the Washington, D.C. museums open, and support the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade.
Tags: Washington, D.C., US House, US Senate, continuing resolution, CR, Barack Obama, government shutdown To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
0 comments:
Post a Comment