$1.1T Omnibus Bill Defeated! Sen. Majority Leader, Reid to Work with Sen. McConnell on Short-Term Funding
December 16, 2010
by Diane W. Collins
dcollins@marketingweb.com
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Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) |
It happened rather quietly. Sen. Harry Reid on the floor of the Senate announced his intention not to file cloture on the $1.1T Omnibus Bill introduced yesterday. In addition, Sen. Reid stated that after conferring with Sen McConnell it would be a waste of time to file cloture on the "continuing resolution" passed last week by the House which would have funded the federal government through FY 2011 at 2010 spending levels.
Instead, Sen. Reid said he and Sen. McConnell over the next twenty-four hours would be working together on a short-term "continuing resolution" to keep the government running. How long? Who knows. The current resolution expires at midnight on Saturday, December 18th.
This is definitely a victory for Conservatives. We suffered a few loses over the last few days. Namely, the defeat of Sen. Coburn's Amendment to "pay for" the thirteen month extension of unemployment benefits included in the Tax Cuts Extension Package; and Sen. Jim DeMint's Amendment to extend the tax cuts permanently and do away with the estate tax. But, is it a victory for Republicans or just a sign they finally understand we're watching? Conservatives are serious about our mandate, "Cut Taxes, Stop Spending."
The above video was a victory lap for Sen. McCain who has fought hard against earmarks. But, many Republicans including Sen. McConnell, the Minority Leader had pork in the bill. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) clearly showed her displeasure after Sen. McCain's theatrics as she exposed what she saw as a Republican charade. Maybe the Republicans have "gotten religion" in the last few days, but as McCaskill and Reid pointed out not one Senate Republican privately removed his/her earmarks from the bill before it went to the floor. But then, we have no way of knowing if they could have...
So, let's look forward to the "continuing resolution" up with which Sen. McConnell and Sen. Reid will come. Could be just another quick fix keeping the government funded through the Christmas holiday until the 111th Congress returns. Or, a short-term measure funding the government through February 2011 when the 112th Congress takes over. Looking at the history of the 111th, I'll bet on the quick fix.
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