WASHINGTON, July 9, 2008
House Democrats Suspend Spending Bills
Dems Call A Halt To Efforts To Pass Bills That Fund Cabinet Budgets
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(CBS/AP)
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Interactive 110th Congress The balance of power shifts and new leadership takes control as the latest session convenes.
The House is typically busy during the month of July as lawmakers debate and vote on the annual spending bills. Late nights are common and dozens of votes on amendments are called. There's more than a little institutional pride at stake as the House plugs away with its work, fulfilling its traditional responsibility to initiate spending bills.
But Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis. - blindsided last month by a GOP effort to transform a bill funding education and health care into a vehicle to permit additional offshore oil drilling - has suspended his panel's work on spending bills for the budget year beginning Oct. 1.
In the wake of the imbroglio, House leaders have failed to schedule debate on a single appropriations bill, including politically popular measures funding veterans and homeland security programs.
Obey says Republicans simply want to drag out the annual appropriations debates for political ends and that he won't be a pawn in such a game. But with President Bush promising veto after veto of the Democratic bills - and Senate action unlikely for most of them as well - there's little enthusiasm among either rank and file Democrats or their leaders to pass all the bills.
Then there is the question of additional offshore oil exploration, which sparked the battle and is a huge issue with voters, who are rallying behind the idea in public opinion surveys. Democratic leaders have blocked GOP efforts to force a vote to end the blanket prohibition on energy development of over 80 percent of the country's offshore waters.
Under ordinary circumstances, Republicans could use the Interior Department budget bill to lift the restrictions on offshore oil exploration. Obey postponed plans for a committee vote on the Interior measure last month after Republicans unveiled a measure by Rep. John Peterson, D-Pa., to open waters 50 miles offshore to oil companies.
The delay by Obey was followed by a remarkable move by top Appropriations Committee Republican Jerry Lewis of California, a longtime colleague of Obey on the powerful panel but one who has a strained relationship with him.
At a hearing last month, Lewis and a colleague tried to force a vote to lift the offshore drilling ban, enraging Obey, who quickly gaveled the meeting to a close. The panel hasn't reassembled since and has no plans to vote on bills this week.
"With all due respect, there are only seven weeks left in the session. I don't see why we should spend those seven weeks in Jerry Lewis' playpen," Obey said.
Republicans say Democrats are unfairly shutting them out of an opportunity afforded them under the rules governing debate on spending bills to obtain a vote on expanding offshore drilling. When they were in the minority two years ago, House Democrats used an Appropriations hearing to win a panel vote to raise the minimum wage. GOP leaders kept the measure from a floor vote.
The impasse seems overshadowed by the presidential campaign and Capitol Hill battles over gas prices. Still, the House has always had a sense of institutional pride concerning its power over the federal treasury.
"I'm hard-pressed to recall a year when they were as far behind the curve as they are this year," said Jim Dyer, who served as the top staff aide on the House panel for a decade under recent GOP control.
Another factor is GOP conservatives, who promise dozens of amendments to strip parochial projects known as earmarks from the spending bills and to try to force cuts in the measures, which easily exceed Bush's budget requests. The moves invariably lose but stretch out debates on the bills beyond what Democratic leaders believe to be acceptable.
In the Senate, where it has become increasingly common for only a few of the 12 spending bills to be given debate time, the Appropriations panel is moving ahead with all 12 of the bills. But Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has not said whether any of the bills will be awarded a vote before Election Day.
Instead, Congress is likely to pass a stopgap measure funding the government into next year. Democratic leaders such as Reid have little to no desire to engage in a confrontation with the lame-duck Bush, who has vowed to veto spending bills that exceed his February budget request.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 28 Comments***********************************************
LOL. Comparing Olberman to Limbaugh is like comparing a house fly to an eagle.
One flies around mindlessly sticking his feet, (an nose) into sh**, and the other rises above the fray and promotes the high ideals of our country.
Limbaugh...give me a break.
The evil, cowardly Whimpo-crats say they want to preserve our freedoms and the Constitution, but when the Great Emperor Bush wants something that threatens both, they bow low and kiss the Emperor''s toes.
The neocon Fascist Nazi Republicans say they want SECURITY and PROTECTION from "terrrrrrrorrists" even if it means turning the country into a second Nazi Germany to do it!
Evil, cowardly Whimpo-crat or neocon Fascist Nazi Republican, both are slugging away at each other over what "elected" politicians in Washington want and those politicians aren''t influenced by the people who elected them, but by lobbyists, big business, power, and money!
Who needs nasty Islamic "terrrrrrrorrists" when all they have to do is sit back and watch us destroy ourselves?
All the "terrrrrrrrorrists" and dictators out there are laughing at us!
SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!!
sig heil, DEFINITELY MORE OF THE SAME, McCain!!!!!
What a surprise.
Posted by smiley676 at 08
Sort of like a few years ago when the repukes were "in charge" and the Dems wanted to have a meeting, the were only allowed to use the basement--or how about the time during a debate between the 2 all the microphones and lights were suddenly turned off--I can find more--want to talk "democratic" process further?
What a surprise.
All are blind, partisan hacks; and none has any credibility.
Anyone who listens to any of them is derelict.
Posted by GreatDriveW at 01:34 AM : Jul 10, 2008
Hahaha the truth really hurst when it hits you right upside the head huh?
Olbermann and Maddow are the only two in the news arena that have the guts to tell it like it is!
On the other hand, Faux news is just a comical as Saturday Night Live!
Posted by Ariel133
The greatest flip flopper of all time goes to the republican nominee, john mccain. He has never met a position on any issue he hasn''''t liked.
All are blind, partisan hacks; and none has any credibility.
Anyone who listens to any of them is derelict.
Posted by GreatDriveW at 01:34 AM : Jul 10, 2008
How''s that? I watch them EVERY night and LOVE the program. I NEVER see the stupidity of the other programs during countdown.... NEVER! Now lets salute Limballs! He''s needs MORE of you brainless people to TELL what to think... Ready?? Sieg Heil Rush!!
Posted by MommaKat64 at 01:02 AM : Jul 10, 2008
Oh I think EVERYONE who WORK''s, YOU KNOW actually WORKS for a living would disagree with that statement... Course you being a fascist you wouldn''t understand what it''s like to have to work for so little now would you! There is NO telling how much MORE they could have done given a senate with a solid Democrat Majority and a Democrat President! When you are working with the WORST President in US History in the White House any progress is great! Now stand... Let''s salute the Fuhrer this morning like a good little bootlicker!! READY?? Sieg Heil Bush
Posted by Ariel133 at 07:18 AM : Jul 10, 2008
Now I know you fascist can''t understand things real well or otherwise YOU wouldn''t be fascist but the Republican''s, if you are within the very few who call them that anymore, had 6 years in control of the entire Government and did NOTHING. Now they are scratching and clawing trying, as best they can, to salvage something. That''s just the reality of this. Now lets stand... let Shooter and the Gestapo know the Bootlickers are still here!! SIEG HEIL BUSH
So the Democrtats are whining that thir bills are being vetoed so much they would rather just sit back, blame the Republicans, and do nothing? What a bunch of children.
Bush and Cheney''s energy plans to rape the US of domestic oil and extremely fragile uninhabited areas must be stopped.
All are blind, partisan hacks; and none has any credibility.
Anyone who listens to any of them is derelict.
Dr Paul was right and I thank him for healing my apathy.
Absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement.
Lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting.
We have been betrayed
What goes around comes around...stop your whining
Heck Repugs, look at it this way...sure beats a sharp stick in the eye.
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