Economic Aid Plan Passes Senate Test

[mojowork_n]

Source: AP

Associated Press (Google News)

By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS –

WASHINGTON (AP) — An economic aid plan to send rebates of $600-$1,200 to most taxpayers passed a key test Monday in the Senate, where Democrats are pushing to add more than $40 billion in help for seniors, disabled veterans and the unemployed.

Democrats were ratcheting up pressure on Republicans to support the add-ons, part of a proposal to pump $204 billion into the economy over the next two years. The House passed its $161 billion economic stimulus package last week with overwhelming backing from both parties.

The Senate voted 80-4 Monday evening to advance that package, setting the stage for a test-vote as early as Wednesday on Democrats' much larger proposal.

The Senate measure would send $500-$1,000 rebates to a wider group of people than the House measure covers, add $14.5 billion in jobless benefits and include $5.6 billion in renewable energy tax breaks over the next 10 years. The rebates would extend to 20 million senior citizens and 250,000 disabled veterans left out of the House bill because they don't earn enough to qualify.

Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h19_YeGzwzlmJhx42iIA7nJF0_UAD8UJQGC81

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I'm not sure all the information in this article is accurate. I caught the end of the show on C-Span this afternoon, and the onscreen totals for the two plans were House/Pelosi-Bush plan 151 bn, and Senate/Reid plan 168 bn. But the C-Span crawler below those numbers was off, that explained what the vote was about. (It said the vote was to forget about changes, and accept the House version.) The C-Span number for the additional amount required was 17 billion, not 40+ .

The phrase "Democrats' much larger proposal" doesn't reflect some last minute changes? The Senate Minority Leader (McConnell, R, KY), presumably one of the 4 members voting against, or one of the 16 not voting, called for a delay, to allow "reading the bill."

No total, here, but a summary of changes from the House version:

http://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=291828&

Anyway, the good news is 80 to 4 in support definitely qualifies as bi-partisan, making it harder to veto.

The Senate reference page doesn't list the outcome of the cloture vote (to limit filibuster), yet, but the page may have been updated by the time you follow the link. I was confused by the rhetoric, both Reid and Mcconnell were saying that the other party was to blame for 'delaying passage' of the plan.

http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/cloture_motions/110.htm

The dark cloud on the horizon might be that (my guess) Bush and the Republican hard-liners in the Senate are trying to hold the bill hostage, to get what they want on FISA. (So no one will ever have to go to jail, for violating the Constitution?)

Bonus Round, Extra Credit An interested bit of trivia:

Sen. Reid said that Republicans in the Senate, in the last year, broke the all-time record for filibusters! They did in one year what it had taken the former record-holders' two years to accomplish.

[TwilightGardener]

1. Thanks for the good wrap-up. I watched that vote today--

my Senator was one of the four to vote against. Sigh.