REVOLT: Critical Spending Bill Goes Down In The House

[kpete]

REVOLT: Critical Spending Bill Goes Down In The House
In a dramatic rebuke of conservative leadership, the House has defeated the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education spending bill for Fiscal Year 2006. This year’s bill, which contains one-third of all domestic spending, calls for deep cuts in critical government programs.

The debate was scheduled for 15 minutes but lasted more than a half hour. This time, the conservative leaders couldn’t twist enough arms.

UPDATE: This bill seemed to be OK with the right-wing until Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) cut out all the pork.

http://thinkprogress.org/2005/11/17/revolt/

[aquart]

1. Arlen? Whatever have you done?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

2. GOOD!

Put the "pork" back in. These projects are critical to our economy and our educational and health research systems.

[in_cog_ni_to]

3. Yay!

They're imploding! :bounce::woohoo:

[Dhalgren]

4. Thank the gods for republicans who still consider themselves

Americans first...

[sinkingfeeling]

5. How did Senator Specter influence a House vote?

[Dr.Phool]

6. I was watching the floor debate earlier

The repubs were preparing to fold their tents then.

[kpete]

7. MORE ON THE HOUSE CHAOS:

MORE ON THE HOUSE CHAOS:

This from another Hill Democrat. Normally it might be bad form to let Democrats crow away at such length. But something really extraordinary seems to be happening in the House right now. So let's have at it. I've bolded some extra-interesting points:


The defeat was embarassing in more than one respect. First, they lost. Second, they looked hapless while losing. Rather than stopping the bleeding, they held the vote open for a long time, but had a twenty vote deficit. Very few of those votes were budging. To make the effort to hold the vote open and then to lose looks exceptionally weak.

Also, a lot of credit should go to Pelosi and Hoyer, who have held the caucus together in total unanimity against these things. Without cherry picking a few wayward Dems, the Republicans have to get all of the votes on their side of the aisle. That puts pressure on them and exposes the fissures on their side.

Are Republicans really going to go forward with that high-stakes budget vote today? After this?? Stay tuned

http://www.tnr.com/blog/theplank?pid=3650