Housing bill, FISA delayed until after July recess (PLS LOCK -- SORRY FOR THE DUPLICATE)

[tpsbmam]

Source: The Hill

The Senate hit impasses over legislation aimed at helping struggling homeowners and a rewrite of spying laws, forcing Democratic leaders to push back consideration of those measures until next month.

Leaders had hoped to finish both measures this week, in addition to an emergency war-spending bill and a Medicare bill, before lawmakers return home by week's end. Both bills have wide support, but in each case, individual senators have refused to let the measures speed through the chamber. As a result, they were forced to lower the bar for this week's action.

Democrats also threatened to keep the Senate in session through the weekend if Republicans didn’t agree to move quickly with the Medicare bill.

Objections by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) will push back an overhaul of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) until after lawmakers return in July, Democratic leaders said Thursday. Feingold is strongly opposed to language that would likely give telephone companies that participated in warrantless surveillance retroactive immunity from lawsuits.

Read more: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/housing-bill-fisa-delayed-until-after-july-recess-2008-06-26.html

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Go Russ! Call, call, call people. We still have a little time.

[The Magistrate]

1. Delay Helps, Sir: Now Every Senator Must Get An Earful During The Recess....

"What we have here is a failure to communicate...."

[damntexdem]

2. Good for the delay, even if the final outcome doesn't change.

And it might.