Reid’s Senate $56 billion stimuluspalooza/oil shale bill fails; roll call vote added
FAIL.
In your face, Harry Reid.
Reuters reports that the $56 million stimulus-palooza bill that featured Reid’s attempt to renew the oil shale ban went down in the Senate this afternoon:
The Senate on Friday blocked a $56.2 billion economic stimulus package that would have extended unemployment benefits, increased food aid and funded new construction projects to create jobs.
The 52-42 vote fell short of the 60 votes needed in the 100-member Senate for Democrats to clear a Republican procedural hurdle and move toward passage of the bill, which backers said would give the ailing U.S. economy a needed boost.
The House of Representatives plans to consider a slightly different stimulus package as soon as Friday afternoon but chances of any stimulus bill becoming law appear slim as the White House has threatened a veto.
The bill would have kept in place a ban on development of domestic oil shale deposits that expires next week.
The Democratic-controlled Congress passed a $168 billion stimulus package in January that relied mostly on tax rebates to spark consumer spending.
While that measure has been credited with contributing to economic growth, consumers have been hurt by rising food and energy prices, a higher unemployment rate and continued home foreclosures.
Democrats said the second attempt would help struggling consumers at a time when Congress is considering an unpopular $700 billion Wall Street bailout shortly before the November 4 presidential and congressional elections.
“What about the honest, hard-working, play-by-the-rule citizens at the bottom of this pyramid left in the ruins after years of mismanagement and outright malpractice by the titans of the financial industry?” said Iowa Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin.
Republicans said they did not have time to review the spending measures properly and the White House said the increased spending could lead to higher taxes or deficits.
This behemoth was a bag of old goodies that the Dems had failed to attach to past stimulus-palooza bills earlier this year. CQ Politics adds:
A $56.2 billion stimulus package failed to advance Friday on a procedural vote in the Senate after the White House threatened a veto.
Senators voted 52-42 to reject cloture on a motion to proceed to the measure, eight short of the 60 votes required to limit debate.
Like a related proposal the House was expected to consider later in the day, the Senate measure (S 3604) includes funding for infrastructure projects and state Medicaid plans and extend unemployment insurance benefits by seven weeks nationwide and an additional 13 weeks in states with high unemployment. The Senate proposal also would fund a variety of other items such as public housing, National Institutes of Health, Small Business Administration and law enforcement grants.
Even if the bill had surmounted the 60-vote hurdle, President Bush was likely to veto it. The bill “will not provide short-term stimulus or long-term growth for the economy. . . . Instead, the bill would simply increase government spending including self-perpetuating entitlement spending by tens of billions of dollars,” the White House said in a statement. “If this bill were presented to the president, he would veto the bill.”
That veto threat comes as little surprise as the White House and Republicans have been cool on the need for a second stimulus package.
The proposal by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert C. Byrd , D-W.Va., also includes an assortment of other items, such as $490 million for Byrne grants, which go to local law enforcement agencies; $250 million for NASA to work on the space shuttle’s replacement; and $1.2 billion for the National Institutes of Health.
The administration took issue with a variety of items, including language that would reinstate a ban on oil shale development in the Rocky Mountains. The White House also objected to the unemployment insurance extension, food stamps funding, and aid to states for Medicaid programs.
The administration also cited as objectionable a provision that would have cut the price of birth control pills at university clinics and Planned Parenthood centers by undoing part of a 2006 deficit reduction law (PL 109-171). That law removed university clinics and private birth control clinics from the list of entities eligible for “nominal” pricing under the Public Health Service Act, which outlines a series of federal health program partnerships with states, localities and nonprofit schools.
***
Here’s the roll call vote:
See what others have said
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YEAH!! As I posted on another thread, I just called my Congressman’s office. Callers are 30-2 OPPOSED TO THE BAILOUT.
Eat it Reid!
EPIC FAIL.
But then, that’s just the story of Dingy Harry’s life.
Tommy is whimpering in the corner.
Michelle,
The title needs to be fixed to read BILLION.
Well, finally some good news today coming out of dc. Suck it up harry, you worm.
L
Poor harry. Nobody loves a sad clown. i made the call. took 8 attempts as the lines were clogged with collers…
Finally, congress gets something right. I think I was really going to lose it if that oil shale ban made it through.
Reid: Enemy of the people.
I hope your re-election goes down in flames.
Wow, so he was trying to extend unemployment benefits as well as the oil shale thing?? Glad that’s blocked! Now remove the ridiculous bailout of credit cards, student loans and car loans, and people might at least listen to the proposal.
Isn’t dingy up for removal this year? If there ever was a hapless Senate leader he is it.
Of course the two MD Senators have to vote in favor of this nonsense. I do write them on issues, but it seems like it falls on deaf ears. Thank God for our Rep. in the House!!
These crapweasels will continue to attempt to do this to our domestic energy supplies, to keep energy prices high and force the public to revolt against fossil fuels altogether.
Here comes the $150 billion “green jobs” alternative energy pork fest. How’s that going to play in this economic environment?
Dingy Harry and Queen Pelosi have to be fought tooth and nail constantly. They are on the wrong side of %75-25, $80-15 splits in public opinion on many issues.
We must defeat these people, foe our country.
ooops, FOR our country, I mean
I can’t believe how these idiots think we can function as a nation without oil. The nonsense about changing to alternative energy in ten years is idiotic. We, as a nation, cannot afford to just mothball all the coal, oil, and natural gas powered power plants. That would be akin to throwing away a 3 year old car with 40,000 miles on it. No one I know could afford to do that and neither can the US. These plants contain millions of dollars worth of valves, turbines, condensers, generators, etc., which are of no use with wind turbines or solar collectors or whatever alternative energy systems they think will work.
We need the oil that is in the shale rock. We will be using oil in our economy for at least the next 50 years.
Being the only adults in the room Conservatives must get hold set the children down for class and not risk spoiling the child by sparing the rod.
Don’t let up until the chief child in charge has signed a clean short pruned bill that cuts out every unnecessary expenditure America has.
Actually, the way things are going, might as well make it trillion. Welcome to the United State of Zimbabwe.
Yeah, the failure of the oil shale bill is definitely cool. Not much good news these days, so we got be grateful for what we can get.
Praise Jesus!
That includes abolishing certain Departments and agencies, such as the Dept. of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts. Complete waste of our money.
No wonder Reid didn’t want McCain around. He could have been the swing vote. Scumbag.
Senators Obama and McCain sure did show a lot of leadership by not voting on this matter. It’s just one more reason why I’m not voting for either of them.
“L” no longer stands for Liberal. It now stands for Loser.
You know what will give our economy a needed boost?
This.
Lame.
It’s nice to be able to send a “Thank You” to Cornyn and Hutchison today.
‘Course it had a P.S. at the end, “Now, about the bailout…”
Lautenberg and Menendez in the Reid camp. Not a surprize.
Right on the money. We also need more from the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic and Pacific continental shelf, and of course the vast reserves available in Alaska, on and off shore, oil and lots of natural gas.
My house has natgas central heat, water heater, and gas fireplace. I need natural gas supplies to be cheaper. The bill for TVA natgas has gone up about %20 in the last 24 months. Hurricanes are not helping, since my supply is pipelined up here from Houston. Alaska could help that some. Thank you Sarah for getting that underway.
Notice how none of the journalists want to talk energy with Sarah Palin? They are afraid she might be effective at moving the needle on public opinion.
This is SO important, I wish more people would get it.
Million, billion, it’s all chump change to these politicians. After all, it’s not their money.
Please notice Elizabeth Dole’s vote.
#21:
It never stood for liberal; it stands for Libertarian.
The dems will wait until we are totally out of oil and using kerosene lanterns to light our homes. Then they will pass a bill on an emergency basis and tell everyone the republicans were at fault for not allowing drilling.
Kind of the same way Al Gore thinks we can’t operate without coal plants. Or how they think that energy just magically appears out of thin air.
Kerosene is refined from crude oil, just like gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
Pulling teeth from Kathy Castor’s (D) local office, but finally got this answser: “Callers are leaning 2 to 1.”
Me: “In favor or opposed?”
Castor’s office: “Opposed.”
I am happy the astute Republicans told the shallow Democrats that the American people want to be able to extract the oil from the shale. And there is even something in the deal for the Democrats…plenty of sand from the extraction process for which they can pound!
Windmills? he he
But even if we had real working technology, there is no way we can get it in place in 10 years and the country would go broke from the cost of energy waiting for it.
If we were to return to oil burning lamps, we might have to return to the oil we used to burn, which happens to found in the heads of whales. Do the libs really want that?
Big Oil saved the whales. Pass it on.
Whale blubber?
My God, are they mad? Really!! We can’t keep on taking out money that we don’t have. I mean, didn’t we just try two previous stimulus packages and an attempt to aid homeowners?
Hey, Michelle, you may want to do a self-edit because there’s a discrepancy between your 56 million and the 56 billion in the article.
That’s just the teacher/writer/editor in me. Just saying….
Why would Dole be voting for this bill… selling out to get re-elected?
Senator Dole voter yea? Gonna have to tear her a new one.
Stimulus package? First, pop the caps off the wells on the CA cost! Then DRILL!
NOT ONE DIME OF PORK SPENDING!
Yeah, Reid. You can go to hell, you stupid SOB.
So, I guess we just use a campfire. Back to the caves, folks!
Please, Nevada, for the sake of the country, please repeal this clown of a politician that you think of so highly. Enough already……
Once we start extracting some of the 800 Billion barrels of oil in our shale, we become more independent and less dependent on people like Chavez, the Saudis, and Putin.
The Communists don’t want us to be free and prosperous.
That is why they want to block our access to our oil and coal.
Shame on you, Mrs. Dole.
Fricken Norm Coleman voted Yes…… He’s lucky I hate Franken!!!!
Destroy the economy, make us all dependant on foreign oil and the government for all our needs. This is all an attempt at a bloodless coup.
Pay attention how Lieberman voted people.
While he’s one of the more reasonable Dems, he is still a liberal. He voted FOR this bill.
And so did Elizabeth Dole of NC. What exactly is she thinking?
Believe me, I feel your pain! My two senators from Washington…. well what more can I say? Of course my rep in the house, Dicks, I just seem to be three strikes against me just for getting up in the morning. I write them quite often, I think I’m on their “spam filter”. If by chance I do get a reply, it’s the “So glad you took the time to write, but here’s my stand on this……”
Sarge
Wikipedia about kerosene.
I saw that!! The last time he voted stupidly, I had a campaign solicitation in my hands intending to send him a contribution. Instead, I tore it up and returned it to him with an explanation why he wasn’t getting another dime. I too will vote for him, but he is on the wrong side of many issues. Yes, Franken would be a disaster. Sad that we have to vote for the better of two bad candidates! I actually voted for Jesse Ventura because the other two were so terrible.
John, what’s the difference?
I’m with you sir.
What’s up with that Libby?
MNUSMCDavid…wasn’t it Skip Humphrey and NORM COLEMAN who ran against Jesse Ventura??
On September 26th, 2008 at 2:37 pm, RightWing said:
I saw that and sighed, too. I don’t think she really wants to “sell out”…I think it’s more likely that she knew the Democratic Socialists would not have 60 votes, and if she voted against cloture then the Democratic Socialists would immediately put this into a television commercial to say (using a variation on the words of Iowa’s Democratic Socialist Senator Tom Harkin):
I think she voted in favor of cloture in order to prevent negative ads against her.
I personally would rather see her stand on principle and vote against cloture, but perhaps this was a necessary compromise in order to win the battle for re-election. We need her in the Senate. She is the one who replaced Senator Jesse Helms. Senator Burr replaced John Edwards (Praise Jesus!)
Another example of how the lunatics are trying to run the world. This one: BONO. How do we save lives lost by malaria – USE DDT, banned by the UN.
She’s in a tough re-election bid where her hack opponent would not hesitate to air a commercial that Mrs. Dole voted against “tax relief” vis a vis this bill. Kay Hagan is a slimy hack. I hate her. I know why Mrs. Dole did this, but still…shame on her for not voting the right way and explaining her reasons.
Actually, her nickname is Liddy, not Libby.
But you can call her Senator Dole.
3 CHEERS for Bayh for voting against it. Only Dem I like.
NC is quickly becoming part of the liberal north.
Florida is still split. Nelson could care less about the issue, he is a solid liberal.
Sarge, keep the pressure on!!
“When it says libby libby libby on the label label label you will like it like it like it on the table table table!”
Welcome to my world Sarge. I live in The Socialist Republic on NJ, where even my Red part of the state has been cut up to make it impossible to elect a Republican Rep… Rural Monmouth County’s 12th District actually includes part of the Trenton area. Ain’t that somethin…
WaMu CEO: 3 weeks work, $18 million payout.
This is ridiculous.
Who’s the “miserable failure” now, Harry?
I don’t blame him for wamus failure but he should return the money.
Thank you Tom Coburn and James Inhofe. You both make me proud to be an Okie.
Capitalism
Woah…both of my wishy-washy Senators voted against it. I’m shocked.
Seriously, it seems most times the only difference between Bayh and Lugar is the letter next to their name. It’s kinda pathetic.
It’s reassuring to know that in these dire economic time the Dems have seen through all the hype, politics and posturing and gone straight to the heart of the matter to tackle the problem head on: subsidzing birth control pills. Now that would stimulate the economy!
But why did they they leave out condoms?
I agree, and I must admit I’m relieved that this golden parachute didn’t come from our tax dollars (yet).
I’m jealous!
H3ll no soap. We have had a lot of northerners move to Charlotte for the banking and insurance business but come on!
another liberal attempt at a power grab, disguised as a civil rights issue.
Wow…I’m shocked that my “Senator”, Chuck Hagel, voted against this!
Oh look! A pig just flew past my window! Crazy!
Why the heck did Sen. McCain not vote on this bill when he is in Washington?
Anyone wonder why I miss South Carolina so much? Senator DeMint and Gov. Sanford!
(And the friendly people, of course!)
Use the royalties from US oil and gas reserves to fund this stupid bailout if it must happen. WTF is WRONG with the Democrats?
happyscrapper…. you bet, those were the other two Skippy and normy
I’ve said this before, but I am so proud of our senators from Oklahoma Inhoff and Coburn…They are the best!
#39:
Because she is a RINO. Dole is no conservative. Look at her voting record.
Please help spread this video on the ‘Subprime Mortgage Crisis’ FAR AND WIDE!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5tZc8oH–o
The fate of our Country hangs in the balance. God Bless the USA.
Thank God Sen. Allard R-CO voted this down. Now if Salazar would just pull his head out of his @$$.
Nothing is ever above board with Congress. They are crookeder than a bag of elbows.
Nothing is technically “wrong” with them.. they were born this way. It’s their natural state of being to strive for handouts of all kinds.
and low state taxes…at least compaired to NC.
Figures the usual RINO suspects would vote to give away a heap of cash and screw the last, best chance at energy independence. I’m glad they failed…this time.
John Warner voted against this??? He must have woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Nice change of pace, now that you’re retiring.
Hey where’s Rusty when you need him? I miss the good old days of endless pro-abortion rants!
I can see it now – BUSH HATES WOMEN: ACCESS TO CONTRACEPTION SLASHED
And now George Soros has targeted Inhoff. Probably because of his anti Global Warming stance. He is definitely on the hot seat. We need to support him in every way possible.
6 Republican turncoats
2 Democrat Turncoats
3 Republicans don’t vote
3 Democrats don’t vote
These partisan votes are sickening. The Democratic leadership has had these Congressmen & Senators over a barrel for years. They vote lock , stock , and barrel with the party.
I wonder what kind of threats they receive if they step out of line. The turncoats are just “allowed” to vote for “political” reasons to appease their home constituencies. They might not even agree. They just do it to get elected.
It’s all a game and Democrats have been playing hardball for years now. Pelosi & Reid are the leaders because they can intimidate the best. They have no conscience.
WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN – TELL HIM:
IF YOU CAVE, THE DEMS WILL HANG THIS AROUND YOUR NECK LIKE A TIRE FILLED WITH GASOLINE. YOU WILL BURN AS THEY BLAME YOU FOR THE CRAP THAT WILL FOLLOW.
Six Senators did not vote. McCain, Obama, and Biden are all out on the campaign trail. Kennedy is in the hospital in Massachusetts. Stevens is on trial in Alaska. Can someone please tell me, for the love of all that is good and holy, why the heck one of my state Senators, Lindsey Graham, did not vote on this bill?
The sad thing is I was watching the discussion on this bill, and it sounded good, until I heard how Slick Harry Reid snuck that Oil shale ban in…. ugh…