Stimulus Bill Sparks Partisan Parsing
The Senate will start deliberations on the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Plan at 2pm ET this afternoon, but do not expect a vote anytime soon. All weekend, senators and administration officials had plenty to say about the bill's future, but no one seemed to agree on their predictions.
Which raises the question: Is this weekend's war of words a harbinger for a long, partisan Senate debate?
Of note is the fact that the administration has almost completely stopped offering number estimates on what Republican support they can count on. Gone from their nomenclature is the confident estimation that the bill will pass with the support of eighty senators.
Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) seemed confident on 'Face the Nation' Sunday that the stimulus bill will be met with Republican support this week. "Republicans won't have the luxury they did in the House of voting no and still letting it pass," he said.
"This will pass with Republican votes because it is a good package and we will make some changes around the edges," Schumer said. He added that he "would rather have a really good bill that helps our economy get out of this mess with sixty five votes than dilute the bill and get eighty votes."
On NBC's 'Meet the Press,' Senator John Kerry (D-MA), a member of the finance committee, said the "bipartisan effort here" is "unprecedented." He cited examples of Republican input in the bill, lauding "Republican Representative Eric Cantor's suggestion that the entire bill be put on the Internet."
"Everybody can go look at every provision in it," Kerry continued. "We've accepted Republican proposals. Arlen Specter's going to put in $12 billion for NIH. One of the largest increases in the bill is the Alternative Minimum Tax fix. That came with the advocacy of Chuck Grassley, Republican Finance ranking member."
Ranking Republican in the Senate Banking Committee Richard Shelby seems to disagree. He told Bob Schieffer on CBSNews.com's 'Washington Unplugged' Friday that he hopes "Republicans can stay together."
He said he has not done a vote count but "we could keep talking about it. If the Republicans band together, there are forty one of us this bill won't pass."
Shelby dampened expectations, however, saying he is "doubtful" there will be full Republican unity. "I think there will be some Republicans that will jump on the bandwagon and jump ship," said Shelby, adding, "but I think it's a bad piece of legislation."
What would it take to get Republicans on board? "A one hundred and eighty degree turn," Shelby said.
Another Republican, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, also knocked the bill.
"Oh, I would fight this bill as it is, absolutely, because I think it is the wrong emphasis," the banking committee member said Sunday. "When we talk about bipartisanship, it means that some of the ideas that would be incorporated would be the Republican ideas. Just talking a good game and then not having any real input or change is not going to make a difference."
"There's too much spending, too much unnecessary spending, not the right kind of tax cuts and no end game," McCain said. "There's a lot of other proposals we have. We think we need to eliminate a lot of the wasteful pork barrel spending that's been put in and have a real, meaningful stimulus package. We realize they need the package. We need the package, America needs the package, but we're not there yet."
Adding his hat to the ranks of Republicans speaking out against the stimulus bill, Senator Mitch McConnell told Bob Schieffer Sunday he "doubt[s]" the economic stimulus package passed by the House has a chance of passing as is in the Senate.
"I think we need to exercise some discipline here and I think it may be time for the President to get a hold of these Democrats in the Senate and House who have rather significant majorities and shake them a little bit and say look, let's do this the right way," McConnell added.
Asked by Schieffer if Republicans plan to filibuster the vote, the senator said that a "super majority" is certainly needed for passage but that Senate Republicans will not purposely hold up the process.
The stimulus package -- known formally as the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Package -- was passed by the House of Representatives last Wednesday, but not a single Republican voted for its passage. How it will be received in the Senate will be revealed this week as the bill hits the floor. Based on this weekend's conflicting predictions, it could be a contentious week.