Senate Republicans blocked Democrats from adding $25B or highways, transit to stimulus package

[acmavm]

Source: Cox Cable Omaha

WASHINGTON (Associated Press) -- Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked Democrats from adding $25 billion for highways, mass transit, and water projects to President Barack Obama's economic recovery program.

Already unhappy over the size of the measure, Republicans insisted additional infrastructure projects be paid for with cuts elsewhere in the bill.

But the Democratic amendment garnered 58 votes, just shy of the supermajority needed under Senate budget rules, and many more efforts to increase the measure's size are sure to follow.

"We can't add to the size of this bill," said Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla. "The amount is just inconceivable to most people."

At issue was a plan by Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to increase the highway funding in the bill to $40 billion, which reflected complaints from lawmakers in both parties that Obama's plan doesn't do enough to relieve a backlog of unfinished projects. The duo also wanted to increase mass transit programs by $5 billion boost and water projects by $7 billion.

"Our highways are jammed. People go to work in gridlock," Feinstein said Tuesday.

Just two Republicans supported the move, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Christopher Bond of Missouri. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Judd Gregg, R-N.H., named Tuesday morning to become Commerce secretary, did not vote.

Senate debate unfolded as Obama issued another call for swift action on the measure, urging lawmakers to act "with the same sense of urgency Americans feel every day."

Republicans, for their part, readied a plan to lower mortgage costs to try to jolt the housing market out of its slump.

The $885 billion Senate economic plan faces assaults from both Democrats and Republicans during debate this week, as lawmakers in both parties aim to kill ideas that won't jolt the economy right away.

"The goal is to shape a package that is more targeted, that would be smaller in size and that would be truly focused on saving or creating jobs and turning the economy around," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. She said ideas like $870 million to combat bird flu should be dumped.

Others, such as Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., have complained about items such as health research being in the bill. But Specter _ a moderate whose vote is sought by Obama _ is instead proposing to add $6.5 billion for the National Institutes of Health.

-MORE-



Read more: http://omaha.cox.net/cci/newsnational/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D9649L700&_action=validatearticle

---

Ben Nelson is a jerk.

[izquierdista]

1. How?!!

Who won the last election? Who fucked up the economy over the last 8 years?

Republicans should be glad they are not wearing tar and feathers and sitting on some abandoned section of railroad track.

[Vincardog]

2. Ben Nelson is a jerk.

[WCGreen]

3. These people are just so out of touch...

The people need help after 8 years of having their government turn it's back on their needs...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

11. It's amazing since

they must know what Washington gridlock is like. I'm surprised that, for once, they don't even want to take care of their own needs.

[WCGreen]

15. Well, no one ever inferrred that the GOP was full of mensa candidates...

[WriteDown]

4. I somewhat agree...

They've already got 850B in the bill. Why isn't more or that devoted to transit infrastructure in the first place?

[radfringe]

5. last week the house rushpublicans whined infrastructure money was too much

then after voting against the bill, they complained there wasn't enough money for infrastructure - now the senate rushipublicans are complaining it's too much?

will they get their way? you betcha.

[Beavker]

6. If they want Dems to fail, just let the Dems do what they want.

If they think that the Dems ideas are crap and useless, let them do as they please. They want them to fail anyway. So why would they think that their plan is bad? Why isn't Rush calling on the Repukes to let the Dems do as they please because it will just fail and his little plan will have come to fruition?

[Jackpine Radical]

14. Because the only way Dems fail is if they don't get their bills through.

The Dickhead Party knows that the Dem proposals will work if enacted, so they need to block them.

[thucythucy]

7. 58 votes means that

if Kennedy had been well enough to vote, and Franken was seated (as he should be) the amendment would have passed.

Very frustrating!

[acmavm]

8. Wow! Your Profile is probably still warm. Welcome. Did you join for this thread?

[thucythucy]

12. Pretty much,

yeah. I've been a DU reader for ages and finally decided to take the plunge. This is a great site, one of my daily "must sees."

Thanks for the welcome.

Best wishes.

[Divine Discontent]

30. Hear's to a healthy and happy long stay on DU! eom

[Beavker]

20. I'm pretty new to the DU

And also a Nebraskan, surrounded by Repukes (though Omaha is actually Blue, it's just hard to tell from where I sit at work because of the make up of my fellow office mates).

[acmavm]

26. Yeah, it can be a challenge at that.

[2Design]

9. why the hell aren't they loading this up with what we need and taking out

everything the repukes want as far as anything that does not benefit the whole of society. The repukes have had two decades of getting what they want - and these bailouts started and were pushed by their guy and yet the dems as usual are taking the heat - they have the majority wtf

[w4rma]

10. Get rid of nuclear power subsidies. That is 50B right there. Of course the GOP won't like that. (nt)

[GreenTea]

13. Republicans will stop anything that might mean more union workers, the republicans

despise workers having a voice against the rich, elite & powerful corporations, that are the republican party, however, the republicans certainly don't mind stealing the workers tax dollars, (bailouts subsidies & corporate tax cuts).

[caraher]

16. Or trim $25B of tax breaks

If all they can do is complain without being constructive, just take out the useless junk the Republicans support

[IndianaGreen]

17. Enough of them!

There are enough votes in the Senate to pass a real stimulus bill. Appeasing the GOP will give Obama the same results that Neville Chamberlain got when he appeased Hitler.

[PatrynXX]

18. Just wait until another collapsed bridge.....

very fucking annoying.

[NM Independent]

19. Of course. Because our infrastructure doesn't need it anyway. n/t

[kpominville]

21. Pay for it with a Tax CUT?!? Proof Cons are Insane.

Thats like trying to pay for your next car by taking a pay cut.

Republicans are morons and its time we called them out for it.

[Beavker]

22. Throw them a curve ball.

Ask for massive corporate tax cuts, no capital gains tax...then we can laugh when they vote No on the stimulous, then remove the measures anyway. Proving that they will vote No even on their own agenda issues.

[2Design]

23. why did we never see headlines - Democrats block xxxxxx - I am sick of this n/t

[Zorra]

24. "The amount is just inconceivable to most people." Unless you use the money to kill people

and blow things up, of course.

The trillion spent on the Iraq disaster, and the trillion or more pending on the Iraq disaster, well, that truly was inconceivable to most people. As well as useless, destructive, stupid and irresponsible.

Of course, only the GOP would think a senseless, utter failure is a good idea.

Dems are in a position to CRUSH republican opposition, which they need to do if we are going to get out of this mess.

Strongly worded letters still don't work.

[One_Life_To_Give]

25. Wasn't critical infrastructure supposed to be a main part of stimulus?

Since when does 4.7% count as a main part?

[WePurrsevere]

27. So we paint them as obstructionists who care only about big corps & the rich.

not the every day American struggling to find work and get by. Remind Americans by using ads, etc that this disaster happened because of the way the Republicans ran and neglected things.

Then Dems add back in some of the "compromises" that were manipulated out of the House bill and time the "redo" so it will go through when we can definitely have enough votes to make sure it goes through to be presented to President Obama.

[Joe Chi Minh]

31. "Expose", rather than paint".

[WePurrsevere]

35. True, that's a better choice since they already are obstructionists. n/t

[santamargarita]

28. I still like my idea:

Turn out the lights on the Senate Floor and once the lights come back on see how many of these Republican fucks are still standing!

[NeoConsSuck]

29. What is our military defense (offense) budget?

The pukes sure have no problem pouring money into that. But that is where their corporate donors are.

[BumRushDaShow]

32. Or better, what is the "off-budget" military spending? n/t

[liberal N proud]

33. Republican obstructionist

They know that if they can defeat this bill and the economy sinks into depression which it may already have. They will be able to tag it on Obama for not saving the country from this economy.

They are taking their que from Limbaugh. Baaaah.

[maxsolomon]

34. Dear Sen. Feinstein: building more highways won't solve gridlock

the cuts to mass transit are far more troubling. it's the main thing we DO need (aside from clean energy).