Senate GOP blocks extra $25B in stimulus package

[book_worm]

If Franken were in the Senate and Kennedy had voted we could have stopped the GOP:

http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20090203/4987dd60_3421_1334520090203-1474219381


WASHINGTON - 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.

[EFerrari]

1. Just this morning they said they wanted more money for infrastructure.

:crazy:

[whistle]

2. Can't believe anything rePUKES say

[bdamomma]

3. these freaking repigs do not want the stimulus plan to work that is why

they are obstructing Obama's bill. The repigs want to scrap the whole bill and start from scratch, and therefore we are on hold again, I hate the repigs they are not for the American people even when they conveniently mention us all the time, what freaking hypocrites they are.

[Wapsie B]

4. But the cost of the Iraq War is conceivable Inhofe?

Let's see, even by the previous administration's admission there were several TRILLION dollars unaccounted for.

[Triana]

5. Repig mantra: "obstruct, obstruct, obstruct - so Obama will FAIL...

..one way or the other we MUST see that he FAILS!"

[Better Believe It]

6. How about just presenting a brand new bill that will include this and other increases

in infrastruture spending.

Withdraw this weak bill and present a new bill that will actually create many more public works projects and jobs.

[stillcool]

7. Is this a 'weak bill'?

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=02&year=2009&base_name=the_senate_stimulus_bill

[Better Believe It]

9. Yes it is.

Do you want to read a real economic stimulus plan that would actually create useful public works jobs and put 1.6 million people to work, cost 149 billion dollars and be completed by the end of 2010?

Read the one proposed by the nations mayors and ignored by Pelosi and Reid.


http://www.usmayors.org/mainstreeteconomicrecovery/documents/mser-plan-20081203.pdf

[w4rma]

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