Omnibus Breakdown in Senate
EmailABC News’ Z. Byron Wolf reports from Capitol Hill:
Senators were all set for an 8:15 p.m. vote today on the pork-laden omnibus appropriations bill for the fiscal year that already is half over.
But there has been a late breakdown of some kind and there won’t be a vote, after all.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced on the floor that Democrats were one vote shy of the 60 votes needed to cut off debate. Republicans, he said, want votes on more "10 or 12 more amendments." There have been votes on 12 already this week. All of them, including proposals to strip earmarks from the bill and undo policy changes tucked inside, have been defeated.
Any amendment would send this bill back to the House for another vote there — a delay Democrats want to avoid.
But the government, operating on a short-term funding bill passed last year, runs out of money Friday, so both the House and Senate are expected to pass on Friday, probably by voice vote, a continuing resolution to fund the government through Tuesday.
Reid suggested a vote Monday in the Senate on new Republican amendments and perhaps on the omnibus bill. But Democrats obviously are having trouble counting votes. So who knows what’ll happen.
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Democrats are having “trouble” counting
votes? More like Democrats are having
a strong opposition to their “getting”
the votes. Surely, Obama’s suave and
Nancy’s velvet hammer will win in the
end….with the help of the media.
Chris Matthews is on your side….
as is the dependent majority of America.
Posted by: Trajan | March 5, 2009, 10:16 pm 10:16 pm
Pull every earmark – especially the 40% that were put in by the Republicans. Call their bluff. It is documented that the Red States consume far more from the Feds than they contribute, so if they want to be a bunch of ingrates about it cut it all out.
Posted by: jhw539 | March 5, 2009, 10:48 pm 10:48 pm
What is that odor and where is it coming from ? I’m sorry , I thought it was from a pig farm . But , there are no pig farms in Washington D C you say . In the heart of Washington is the largest pork house in America , The United States Congress . If it smells like pork , looks like pork and Congress had anything to do with it , it is pork . Lets spend $1.7 million to deodorize congress the smell is awful.
Posted by: Terry Williams | March 5, 2009, 10:49 pm 10:49 pm
Top 20 omnibus earmarks
Millions
Number Amount
Cochran (R-MS): 204 471
Wicker (R-MS): 143 390
Landrieu (D-LA): 177 332
Harkin (D-IA): 177 292
Vitter (R-LA): 142 249
Bond (R-MO): 86 248
Feinstein (D-CA): 153 235
Inouye (D-HI): 106 225
Shelby (R-AL): 125 219
Grassley (R-IA): 125 219
Murkowski (R-AK): 93 181
Murray (D-WA): 155 171
Lincoln (D-AK): 93 181
Pryor (D-AK): 92 167
Menendez (D-NJ): 171 160
Lautenberg (D-NJ): 173 159
Hutchinson (R-TX): 106 106
Levin (D-MI): 178 152
Stabenow (D-MI): 178 152
Byrd (D-WV): 76 152
Posted by: Thinking | March 5, 2009, 11:40 pm 11:40 pm
For over a year Sean Hannity railed like a mad man that Obama was a hard left-winger who wanted to remake American in his own socialist vision. People laughed at him. Looks like Sean got it right.
Posted by: Carrie | March 6, 2009, 12:12 am 12:12 am
It’s not enough for Obama to say that this is last year’s business and that he’ll trim the pork from now on. He’s president right now. The country is broke right now. He should take a stand and get to work paring everything out of this bill that can go. If he doesn’t do it now, it won’t make a difference what he does later. He’ll have already lost credibility. He’s the boss now, not Pelosi or Reid or any other member of Congress.
Posted by: hopesprings52 | March 6, 2009, 12:25 am 12:25 am
What bother me most is politicians somehow think that they can get away with anything. Regardless of Democrat or Republican,or independent, the people are hurting now. Can they at least share the country pain?
President and Congress asking the American to share the pain, step up to our share of responsibility. Yet, they act like a bunch of arrogant third world rulers. Sure, we should pay more tax, so they can spend it without any regard.
Is this the change they promise ? Glad that I stay home in on election day.
Posted by: maleasiansmoker | March 6, 2009, 1:01 am 1:01 am
I hope this bull, er..bill, gets held up permanently. Maybe their payroll is funded in it. It’s about time they felt our pain. I have a small business and haven’t taken a paycheck for a year.
Yes Mr Schumer I do care about your little “porky” things, the overspending on stimulus, bank, mortgage and car bailouts and a whole lot more! It’s time to stop.
Posted by: Kary | March 6, 2009, 1:50 am 1:50 am
maleasiansmoker:”What bother me most is politicians somehow think that they can get away with anything. Regardless of Democrat or Republican,or independent, the people are hurting now. Can they at least share the country pain?”
You do realize that earmarks are spent on the people – the ones who won’t have jobs if these projects aren’t funded – right? Earmarks don’t go directly into a politician’s pocket you know. And instances of kickbacks or money going to a politician’s wife or something have gone WAY down since the Democrats took over and required sponsors of earmarks be identified.
Posted by: jhw539 | March 6, 2009, 2:17 am 2:17 am
To jhw539: They don’t call it pork for nothing. When it walk like a duck, quack like a duck then it is a duck. No doubt there will be some business will get a fat contract and in turn contribute to the election coffer.
Are you remember the “bridge to nowhere” that the Democrat poke fun at Palin. What’s different ?
Tell that to million people who struggle pay check to pay check. What make you think it less corrupt now. Charles Rangle is being investigate , Blago was throw out of office. Several high profile nominees were withdraw for tax reason.Need I say more?
Posted by: asianmalesmoker | March 6, 2009, 3:24 am 3:24 am
Impeach Obama now
Posted by: Sluggo | March 6, 2009, 3:35 am 3:35 am
To Slulggo:
Just a couple of points. First, 40% of the pork comes from Repubes. 6 of the top 10 porkers are Repubes. Oh, Porky Limbaugh called and he’s sending 3 of the 20 million pigs in Iowa to your house.
Posted by: B. Bear | March 6, 2009, 5:54 am 5:54 am
It’s about time someone started putting on the breaks and slowing down this spending spree.
Posted by: hkdakota | March 6, 2009, 6:42 am 6:42 am
Who cares who is asking for the pork? Don’t let them have their pork. No pork. Just say no to pork. The bill is too porky. This is a really porky bill. It’s the porkiest. We straight?
Posted by: Kitty | March 6, 2009, 7:09 am 7:09 am
Obama will never veto this.
http://www.political-buzz.com/
Posted by: matt | March 6, 2009, 7:38 am 7:38 am
I don’t much care who or what party is for the pork. I don’t!
Cut it out! It’s that simple. We taxpayers CAN’T afford pork right now. Is that too hard for Harry Reid to figure out? Congress is soooo disconnected from we the people, they don’t hear most of which we say. They have selective hearing and that is NOT how this government is supposed to be run.
We chastised the republicans on their pork spending in the last six of the eight years. We just had an election and voted for “change”. What happened? Pork is pork. Just because there is a (D) next to the pork doesn’t make it any better. It is still pork, and we can’t afford it now.
Is this the change I voted for Harry? Seems nothing has changed…
Posted by: Mark from WI | March 6, 2009, 8:06 am 8:06 am
Pull every earmark – especially the 40% that were put in by the Republicans. Call their bluff. It is documented that the Red States consume far more from the Feds than they contribute, so if they want to be a bunch of ingrates about it cut it all out.
—————————————-
jhw539,
We dont have to throw evething out, but is there a problem in working towards a scenario where these things are brought into the light of day BEFORE the bill is passed and we find out all the juicy details after the fact?
How many of us who are married can just go off and spend, spend & spend without consulting our spouses about it first? I don’t know too many people who could just come home with a new 50″ HDTV, or a new car or a new set of diamond earings and be greeted with big smile and a hug. Especially in the current economic environment!
I have never agreed with this process. BOTH parties have abused it in the past! Obama campaigned on changing the process, so LETS DO THAT! This is the perfect time to do it, America is focused on this stuff now and now is the time to use that focus and kick the politicians from both parties in the @ss!
I am fully behind his promise to change the earmark process. He is already moving at light speed on Huge issues right now. It is time to slow down and provide everyone, no matter what their political beliefs are, to actually see what our own congressional delegations is asking for as well as what others are trying to get.
I would think this kind of openness & transparency would be something ALL Americans would welcome!
Posted by: Mike_C | March 6, 2009, 8:56 am 8:56 am
No pork! No renovations of Congressional offices! No foreign aid – we need the money here! Let’s think about the good of the country for a change instead of lobbyists and Congressmen.
Posted by: hsmith | March 6, 2009, 10:44 am 10:44 am
Rush Limbaugh is like the Randall Flagg of the Republican Party. It’s just a matter of time till doomsday for him.
Posted by: 33Greeper | March 6, 2009, 4:07 pm 4:07 pm