December 21, 2005

Summary (so far).

VP Cheney cast a tie-breaking vote in favor of the budget bill. The bill passed 51-50. This bill has to go back to the House because some points of order were raised against it. The parliamentarian ruled on this. The latest word is that the House will be back tomorrow.

Then debate on ANWR and the underlying defense appropriations bill resumed. At 12:13 the Senate voted on cloture, an action to end debate on the defense appropriations bill. The cloture motion was defeated, 44-56. Drilling opponents have successfully filibustered the version of the defense appropriations bill that includes ANWR drilling.

The three Republicans voting against cloture were Sen Chafee (RI), Sen DeWine (OH), and Sen Frist (TN). Sen Frist changed his vote to no because voting no allows him to remain in command of the bill and retain the option of bringing it back for reconsideration. It is possible that the Senate (and now the House) will reconsider the version of the defense appropriations bill that did not include the drilling provision, i.e. the original conference report.

Four democrats voted for cloture: Sen Landrieu (LA), Sen Inouye (HI), Sen Akaka (HI), and Sen Nelson (NB). This means that ANWR drilling proponents had 57 votes: 53 of 55 Republicans and 4 of 45 Democrats. Even if all Republicans had voted for the bill drilling proponents still would have been one vote short of the 60 required. That vote ended at 12:40 or so.

A quorum call began at 12:42 and an extended quorum call spanned the afternoon. A bunch of senators came onto the floor at about 17:15.

Eventually, the Senators approved a resolution stripping the ANWR language from the Defense Appropriations bill. The vote was 48-45, with Republican senators Coleman, Collins, DeWine, Lugar, Smith, Snow, and Specter voting in favor of nixing the provision. The Senators then quickly approved the ANWR-free version of the bill, 93-0.

C-SPAN2 and the AP reported that the Senators amongst themselves agreed to a six-month extension of the Patriot Act. At 11:04 the Senate is still in session but it looks like they are done after tonight.

The most profound speech of the day was that of Ted Stevens, preceding the successful vote to strip ANWR language from the defense appropriations bill. Knowing he was likely to lose the vote, he showed anger and sorrow. He listed the groups tht would enjoy the plenty offered by ANWR drilling. He could not believe that, knowing the benefits presented, senators would still vote to delete it. He wondered if anyone had really read his bill. He didn't think so. How it provided for borrowing authority in the case of emergency. How it would provide for border security, both north and south. How it would yield low-income heating assistance. How it would help New Orleans. Have you people toured New Orleans for two days like I have? Have you seen barges as big as this room on top of houses?

Sen Stevens said goodbye to the senate tonight. He made a beautiful speech and it was sad. That his colleagues were willing to break his heart to honor a principal is a reason for optimism. There's now a link to an earlier version of this speech on the main C-SPAN page, under "Recent Programs."

Today's Action from the Floor

The Senate began voting on the Budget / Deficit Reduction bill at 10:15 est. The bill cuts $40b from the budget.

The votes were 50 yea, 50 nay. Vice President Cheney, who resides as President of the Senate, voted the deciding vote in favor of the bill. The bill passed 51-50. The Constitution provides that the Vice President is the President of the Senate and can cast tie-breaking votes.

[11:20]

The Senate is now debating ANWR. Sen Murkowski (AK) spoke in favor. Sen Feinstein (CA) spoke in opposition. Sen Domenici (NM) is speaking in favor.

Sen Byrd is speaking in opposition. He is holding up a copy of the Senate Rules. He says, if cloture is invoked, Senators have discussed raising a Rule 28 point of order...asking whether Senate should overturn the ruling of the chair, to negate Rule 28 in effect, in order to retain the ANWR provisions in the conference report...suspending Rule 28 to negate it and then restoring it...I abhor, I abhor, I abhor this idea...I love this man from Alaska, but I love the Senate better...I love him...I feel that the blood in my veins is the same as his blood...I came here to uphold the constitution and I would die upholding that oath...I cannot go down that road, I told him so, I love him but I love the senate more... If sustained today, this process could be used again and again to destroy the senate rules...Senators should realize that if Rule 28 is negated in the next hour it will not be restored again until the President of the US signs the bill into law, which could be as long as 10 days...which could affect the Patriot Act...Sen Byrd runs out of time...will Cantwell give it to him?...Reid gets five more minutes for each side...my friend is standing up for his state, but I am standing up for the Senate...

Sen Gregg (NH) rises in favor. [11:37] He is saying that if this bill doesn't pass cloture, the low-income heating assistance won't pass either.

Sens. Cochran, Lott, and Landrieu are speaking in favor. Sen Stevens is going to have the last speech before the cloture vote. Now Sen Kerry is speaking. [11:48] Has as passionate a feeling against drilling in ANWR as the senators have in favor of it. But that's not the debate here today. The debate is about what the Sen from West Virginia was talking about...every once in awhile here in the Senate we have a gut check...we all want the money for border security, for the troops, for hurricane assistance...there's only one thing that's stopping us here...breaking the senate rules for a matter of expediency...Sen Byrd is audible in the background speaking in affirmation...sounded like he said, "Amen"...we should do it according to the rules of the United States Senate...if we say no to cloture now this can be stripped out...if it means an extra day to preserve the rules of the senate, we should take that extra day...

One minute for the Senator from Michigan, Sen Stabenow...she's opposed to it...

Sen Cantwell (WA) rises to urge the senators to reject this cynical ploy...no one could condone such a blatant measure or procedure...strongly object to the arctic drilling provisions on the merits...regardless of the merits...object to the way this provision has been added to the legislation, they are a violation of the senate rules...not in house or senate conference bill, language was changed after senators had signed their names to the conference report...she has some large boards with quotes from newspapers...referred to NYT as a newspaper from New York...we are not going to be blackmailed into voting for this legislation...one supporter of drilling called it a politically toxic rider...

Sen Lieberman says he has opposed ANWR drilling in the past...perpetuated dangerous myth that we could drill our way out...that was seventeen years ago...we have had good, fair fights on this issue...

[12:03]

Sen Durbin rises to speak against ANWR drilling.

Sen Stevens says he hopes the good lord will help him hold his temper...he is mad at Durbin for something...said he asked him for his apology once, but he would not accept his apology now...he says he knows the Arctic, that they don't know the Arctic at all...a committment made to him by 2 Democratic senators in 1980...he says he drew the order creating the wildlife range in 1958...that oil and gas exploration was included in it...subject to env impact statement being approved by house and senate...the minority has filibustered it every time but once, the one time it was passed President Clinton vetoed it...

***

[17:33]

There are a bunch of senators in the chamber, visible on C-SPAN2. They are milling about, holding pow-wows with their respective leaders. The speculation is that there is going to be a vote on the defense authorization bill. We are waiting for word from Sen Frist.