Liveblogging the Senate war spending debate; Update: Republicans abandon fiscal conservatism, vote for non-war lard-up; Update: Roll call vote added, McCain skips vote; Update: Spending bill passes, 70-26
Scroll down for updates…GOP abandons fiscal conservatism in droves, domestic spending bill lard-up passes 75-22, roll call vote below…McCain AWOL…
It’s high noon and the Senate is voting a domestic spending amendment to the emergency Iraq war supplemental bill that stuffs $10 billion more in non-war-related spending into the package passed by the House.
The items include:
- A 13-week extension of unemployment benefits (for my previous posts on why this is a bad idea, see here and here );
- a provision blocking Medicaid rules implemented by the Bush administration;
- global food aid and $5.8 billion for Hurricane Katrina recovery costs.
Here’s an explanation of what’s going on:
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday reached an agreement on a process for Senate consideration of the war supplemental appropriations bill (HR 2642), including a provision to delay for one year seven new Medicaid regulations proposed by the Bush administration, the AP/Detroit News reports (Taylor, AP/Detroit News, 5/22).
As part of the agreement on the legislation, the Senate will vote on a domestic spending amendment drafted by Senate Appropriations Committee Democrats that includes the Medicaid provision. In the event that the amendment does not receive 60 votes — the threshold on which Senate leaders agreed — they will remove the measure, and therefore the Medicaid provision, from the bill. The amendment likely will not receive 60 votes, according to CQ Today.
After the vote on the amendment, the Senate will consider other measures related to war spending and policy conditions for those funds. The Senate likely will send a final version of the bill to the House on Thursday or Friday. The House likely will consider the version of the legislation sent by the Senate during the first week of June, according to a senior House aide.
Senate leaders hope that agreement — which likely will “anger House Democrats and Senate appropriators, who have wrestled over the package of add-ons and trumpeted their efforts to change war policy” — will “head off President Bush’s plans to veto the measure” (Rogin, CQ Today, 5/21).
Staying tuned…
12:09pm Eastern. The domestic spending amendment passes, 75-22–veto-proof. I’ll post the roll call vote as soon as it’s up.
I guess this is the abandonment of fiscal conservatism we deserve:
Republicans help Democrats add to war funding bill
Senate Republicans have broken with President Bush to help Democrats add help for veterans and the unemployed to a bill paying for another year of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
The 75-22 vote also adds billions of dollars in other domestic funds such as heating subsidies for the poor and money for fighting wildfires to the $165 billion for the military operations overseas.
The vote is a rebuke to Bush, who has promised to veto the measure if it contains the domestic measures. However, the president still has enough GOP support to sustain a veto.
The House still has to act on the bill. Last week, the House voted to reject money for continuing the war.
***
1:12pm Eastern. Here’s the roll call vote. Take note of those who skipped out on the vote…
***
3:00pm Eastern. The supplemental bill has passed, 70-26. 24 Dems voted no, along with GOP Sen. Gordon Smith and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders.
See what others have said
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VETO! If the funds are not going to our Heroes then that’s the only responsible thing to do. VETO
I hope this becomes an ‘I voted for it before I voted against it’ moment.
Let’s make a deal! Playing games with our heros’ survival. Unbelievable!
impeach everyone of them.
well you know Oblahma is absent…. and how many votes has he missed? flippin loser.
Will this current Congress still have job protection if their approval rate goes to zero?
Is that a bad thing AJ? Just saying one less liberal vote is a good thing.
Oh, how I wish the Congress could only include things in their legislation that actually applies to it, like is required here on the state level.
It’s not that hard. All he has to do is vote “present” like he did the last 130 times…
I thought I heard that Joe Kennedy and the good people from Hugo Chavez’ government were already taking care of this?
Why couldn’t they have voted on each of the 3 issues separately?
If the answer is scheduling, why don’t they just role up everything they plan to vote on until November and vote on it all now?
And then the Repubs can’t figure out why they are in trouble next election.
We want a choice, not just to have a two Democrats to choose between.
Tell me again just HOW a McCain presidency will protect MY pocket? No reelection for anyone even smelling like a RINO. We are failing in our message to them.
It’s like a disease with them; they just can’t stop the spending. It won’t stop until they feel their jobs are in jeopardy and I think they think we’re just too lazy to care. Maybe they’re right. How many people really pay attention? It amazes me that with their low approval ratings, they seem so unconcerned. I routinely contact my senators with my views and concerns about all the garbage they try to cram into various spending bills and the responses are interesting. The only thing I ever get from one is an email saying that they’ve received my message and someone will take a look at it. (He’s worthless.) The second one has over the past several months has sent back letters that show someone actually did read what I had to say. I might not always agree with him, and seldom do in fact, but at least I got a response. And I will not be surprised when they’re all still there next term. I just don’t know what it’s going to take to turn this mess around.
Wow Michelle - you are way unfair! Using that poor pig’s photo to represent Congress. I’ll take the pig any day.
Hey, does this “war-funding” bill include the cost of Pelosi’s Private Air Force jet? If so, which one is she using these days? The C-21 (Gulfstream), the C-40 (Boeing 737), or the C-32 (Boeing 757)?
That story dried up in February 2007, but the absolute silence since then about what type of Air Force VIP jet she is using certainly has all of the MSM “death-by-silence” fingerprints all over it.
Does anyone know what kind of Air Force jet she is using?
I think AG is thinking luau.
Correction: C-20 (Gulfstream), not C-21 (Lear Jet).
this is true, just pointing out his absence. he’s a crapweasel.
We are SOOOOO screwed.
The Repubs who voted for this bill are safe - people like Snow and Specter. In the last elections, it was the good Republicans who were tossed out of office.
No, you’re wrong. Obama voted.
McCain wasn’t there.
See the roll call vote in the latest update.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your commander-in-chief. For the next four years, maybe more, you are SOOOOO screwed. To make the process easier for you, we suggest you lean forward, grab your ankles, close your eyes and think of happier times.
sorry, i thought i just saw him on the news heading for Florida.
The vote is proof positive we don’t have two parties with different ideologies anymore.
We need to replace the elephant and the donkey for both parties with a pig - no wait - a leech - as neither can stop sucking our tax dollars out of our pockets.
Every defense spending bill that comes up is laden with pork like this. This is called business as usual and then it allows Dems to argue later about how much is spent on military spending when it comes time to look at budget cuts, which hasn’t happened in awhile. The true military budget does get cut but all the earmarks stay.
Here is a quote from something I posted earlier this week.
McCain skipping Vote…AGAIN!!!! Typical Election year strategy to avoid taking a position.
I think if you are being PAID to Legislate, you MUST vote on every bill. Take a Side and that way their is no ambiguity as to your position.
Notice those words on the title of the bill. That phrase should be illegal!
Jerks!
Symbol for the new party:
WAR HORSE…..
executing a war move-let’s vote:
Passage
Piaffer
Lavade
I voted for Martinez in Florida. He has been a BIG flop. I get his snooze letter and he gets my emails letting him know how upsetting he is to the conservative base.
I would take back my vote for him if I could.
Nelson is just a Kennedy wannabe. He tries so hard to stay as far left as he can. I haven’t seen him in years as I try and stay as far right as I can. If either of us goes farther left/right, we will bump butts.
Donkey :
used as symbol for stupidity and corruption by:
two great artists:
Michelangelo
Goya.
NO….thing .. has changed
except…the stupid party has become the donkey party.
“Republicans abandon fiscal conservatism”. Michelle, is that a headline from 1988? The House is our only hope. With Republicans like McCain and Graham in the Senate, we’re screwed for a long time.
Hold onto your hats MN…. Jesse Ventura is deciding in July if he wants to run for US senator. Seeing how Coleman and Klobochar are slimeballs with this vote, I am terrified that Ventura may throw his hat in. At least, with the 4 years he made MN a laughing stock when Governor, taxes were kept to a minimum and he wouldn’t let the state government work. Looks like my voting selections this November are slim and next to none.
Oh and as many times as I have been screwed by the Republican party, I would’ve liked to have at least been kissed on the cheek. The one on my face, you sickos!
Inhofe voted yes? That’s genuinely surprising, and disappointing to me…
Sadly, it looked like it needed to be repaired.
I am not a happy camper right now both of my lying crapweasel Senators just stabbed me in the back way to go Crapo and wide-stance. It is time to throw all the bums out and start over! At this rate I might as well stay home in November if not for the local and state seats that can be filled with conservatives.
McCain hedging bets as usual.
1933 is looking better and better all the time. I hope there will be enough soup lines for everyone. Considering their new subsidies, maybe those fifth generation farmers can kick in some milk and a few hogs.
I’m beginning to think that rather than build a fence at the border, we need to build one around D,C.
Ooops…..D.C., that is…
thats why I’ll be voting 3rd party this election, or just sitting it out.
This morning I was proud of my two senators for their voting records, and then that turned to disappointment when I saw one voted for it, and the other didn’t even vote. They’ll be hearing from me.
Right on John Ensign…
boo hiss Dingy Harry
You can’t abandon something you never had!
I noticed that both of my Senators (Sen Barrasso and Sen Enzi) from Wyoming voted NO.
Way to go guys.
well Hutchison is supposedly in her last term. Kennedy is the only one with an excuse for missing the vote. It seems that McCain has forgotten that he is a Senator.
The list of Republicans that supported this is amazing. Shelby? Roberts? Inhofe?! WTF?