Tuesday, December 11, 2007: Before beginning votes on farm bill amendments, senators debate domestic and war spending
[11:28]
Richard Lugar (IN) is speaking about his amendment to the farm bill that would effectively eliminate crop subsidies in lieu of expanded crop insurance. He has talked about how the U.S. is currently in violation of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules against crop subsidization. For example, he said, Brazil will soon get the go-ahead to retaliate against the U.S. for this country’s violation of the WTO by way of cotton subsidies. Under the WTO rules, Brazil can retaliate against any U.S. industry; the counteraction need not be aimed at the U.S. farming industry. He wonders why the current legislation does nothing to bring the U.S. into compliance with WTO regulations. Apparently, his amendment would accomplish this by cutting crop subsidies. Farmers would benefit, though, by the increased offering of crop insurance.
[10:38]
Lindsey Graham (SC) is making an uncommon floor appearance to urge his colleagues to approve supplementary war funding for the conflicts in Iraq (and Afhganistan). He is talking mostly about Iraq. He says that The Surge has been enormously successful and will be regarded as the gold standard for counterinsurgency efforts going forward.
If you would have told me this time last year that we’d be moving Marines out of Anbar because the security situation warranted it, I’d’ve thought that was optimistic beyond belief. The biggest nightmare for al Qaeda has been the surge. Now it’s going to be a nightmare for the Shia extremist groups in Iraq. Graham says there will soon be an operation going after them.
We’re still acting around here as if nothing has changed in Iraq. That’s not true. Let us allow Petraeus to finish the job he has started. Victory is not achieved but it is possible.
Some people won’t give any money on Iraq unless we get another $11b for S-CHIP. Some people won’t give any money on Iraq unless we agree to withdraw troops by the end of next year. Graham, though, concedes that the political progress in Iraq is lacking.
[10:15]
Now John Cornyn (TX) on an omnibus spending package. He quotes the House’s Obey who said he didn’t want any linkage between domestic spending and war funding. Cornyn says, yeah, I agree with that. I don’t want necessary war spending linked with domestic pork projects either. Cornyn offers some sort of motion to proceed to a war spending bill and asks for its passage by unanimous consent.
Richard Durbin (IL) is on the floor and he objects.
[10:13]
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) speaks about the spending bills. He seems to say that the Democrats are still expecting the Republicans to capitulate and aren’t yet offering a true compromise. He said that debate could go back and forth with the House perhaps on end. He says, let’s show domestic responsibility and let’s fund our troops. So, Republicans are standing strong against the current spending package contemplated by the Democrats.
[10:03]
Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) says that Republicans have offered all of their 20 amendments and Democrats have offered five amendments. He says that the first vote today, on a Lautenberg amendment, will occur this afternoon, sometime after 14:15. That could be it for votes today. If so, there will be a bunch of votes tomorrow.
Reid says that senators Coburn and Gregg have offered several amendments. He said something about a Domenici amendment regarding renewable fuels. This amendment is apparently controversial. I will try to get more info on it.
As for the spending bill(s), Reid says he is not as hopeful as he once was. He is asking the other side to be reasonable, so that they can reach a common ground. He now says that Congress will have to pass another continuing budget resolution, perhaps only lasting for a matter of days. Reid must suspect that Congress and the President can agree on an omnibus spending package packaging the remaining eleven spending FY 2008 bills.
He also notes that work on FISA and a bipartisan compromise on the energy bill are necessary.
He goes on to talk about the CIA destruction of interrogation tapes. He says that the tapes probably showed Americans conducting “water torture.” Reid does not go so far as to echo Joe Biden’s call for a special prosecutor to investigate the matter. Reid is willing to wait for a few days before he determines whether such an independent prosecutor is needed.
Behind closed doors, members of both parties of both houses are trying to put together a mammoth omnibus spending package that probably also includes some supplementary war funding. This package would lump together the eleven of twelve FY 2008 appropriations bills that have not been made into law. Lumping the spending bills together is a common way to achieve package for the whole. There is something in it for everyone. Especially when legislators accede to White House wishes for Iraq and Afghanistan supplementary funding, somewhere in the $50-70b range. Consider how the White House demand for $196b has dwindled to the point that it is apparently happy to get a quarter of that.
Still, Rep. David Obey (WI), the House appropriations committee chairman, recognized that an apparent exchange of Presidential acquiescence on domestic spending in exchange for war funding would upset the anti-war contingent of the Democratic party. Nonetheless, that seems to be the working arrangement. Obey said forget this, we'll give the President his spending limits and we'll do it by stripping Republican spending out of the bill until we're at bare bones. Well, we'll see how much sway Obey has depending on how the spending impasse is resolved.
Keep in mind, though, that the current continuing budget resolution (CBR) expires this Friday, Dec. 14. If Congress cannot send some other measure such as an AMT fix to the President's desk by Friday, Congress will have to vote publicly on another CBR, which it is loathe to do.
Richard Lugar (IN) is speaking about his amendment to the farm bill that would effectively eliminate crop subsidies in lieu of expanded crop insurance. He has talked about how the U.S. is currently in violation of World Trade Organization (WTO) rules against crop subsidization. For example, he said, Brazil will soon get the go-ahead to retaliate against the U.S. for this country’s violation of the WTO by way of cotton subsidies. Under the WTO rules, Brazil can retaliate against any U.S. industry; the counteraction need not be aimed at the U.S. farming industry. He wonders why the current legislation does nothing to bring the U.S. into compliance with WTO regulations. Apparently, his amendment would accomplish this by cutting crop subsidies. Farmers would benefit, though, by the increased offering of crop insurance.
[10:38]
Lindsey Graham (SC) is making an uncommon floor appearance to urge his colleagues to approve supplementary war funding for the conflicts in Iraq (and Afhganistan). He is talking mostly about Iraq. He says that The Surge has been enormously successful and will be regarded as the gold standard for counterinsurgency efforts going forward.
If you would have told me this time last year that we’d be moving Marines out of Anbar because the security situation warranted it, I’d’ve thought that was optimistic beyond belief. The biggest nightmare for al Qaeda has been the surge. Now it’s going to be a nightmare for the Shia extremist groups in Iraq. Graham says there will soon be an operation going after them.
We’re still acting around here as if nothing has changed in Iraq. That’s not true. Let us allow Petraeus to finish the job he has started. Victory is not achieved but it is possible.
Some people won’t give any money on Iraq unless we get another $11b for S-CHIP. Some people won’t give any money on Iraq unless we agree to withdraw troops by the end of next year. Graham, though, concedes that the political progress in Iraq is lacking.
[10:15]
Now John Cornyn (TX) on an omnibus spending package. He quotes the House’s Obey who said he didn’t want any linkage between domestic spending and war funding. Cornyn says, yeah, I agree with that. I don’t want necessary war spending linked with domestic pork projects either. Cornyn offers some sort of motion to proceed to a war spending bill and asks for its passage by unanimous consent.
Richard Durbin (IL) is on the floor and he objects.
[10:13]
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) speaks about the spending bills. He seems to say that the Democrats are still expecting the Republicans to capitulate and aren’t yet offering a true compromise. He said that debate could go back and forth with the House perhaps on end. He says, let’s show domestic responsibility and let’s fund our troops. So, Republicans are standing strong against the current spending package contemplated by the Democrats.
[10:03]
Majority Leader Harry Reid (NV) says that Republicans have offered all of their 20 amendments and Democrats have offered five amendments. He says that the first vote today, on a Lautenberg amendment, will occur this afternoon, sometime after 14:15. That could be it for votes today. If so, there will be a bunch of votes tomorrow.
Reid says that senators Coburn and Gregg have offered several amendments. He said something about a Domenici amendment regarding renewable fuels. This amendment is apparently controversial. I will try to get more info on it.
As for the spending bill(s), Reid says he is not as hopeful as he once was. He is asking the other side to be reasonable, so that they can reach a common ground. He now says that Congress will have to pass another continuing budget resolution, perhaps only lasting for a matter of days. Reid must suspect that Congress and the President can agree on an omnibus spending package packaging the remaining eleven spending FY 2008 bills.
He also notes that work on FISA and a bipartisan compromise on the energy bill are necessary.
He goes on to talk about the CIA destruction of interrogation tapes. He says that the tapes probably showed Americans conducting “water torture.” Reid does not go so far as to echo Joe Biden’s call for a special prosecutor to investigate the matter. Reid is willing to wait for a few days before he determines whether such an independent prosecutor is needed.
Precap
After weeks of filled trees and filibusters, the Senate will today begin voting on amendments to H.R. 2419, the farm bill. Senators reached a deal last week limiting each side to 20 amendments on the bill. It remains to be seen how many actual roll call votes will be necessary—certainly not 40.Behind closed doors, members of both parties of both houses are trying to put together a mammoth omnibus spending package that probably also includes some supplementary war funding. This package would lump together the eleven of twelve FY 2008 appropriations bills that have not been made into law. Lumping the spending bills together is a common way to achieve package for the whole. There is something in it for everyone. Especially when legislators accede to White House wishes for Iraq and Afghanistan supplementary funding, somewhere in the $50-70b range. Consider how the White House demand for $196b has dwindled to the point that it is apparently happy to get a quarter of that.
Still, Rep. David Obey (WI), the House appropriations committee chairman, recognized that an apparent exchange of Presidential acquiescence on domestic spending in exchange for war funding would upset the anti-war contingent of the Democratic party. Nonetheless, that seems to be the working arrangement. Obey said forget this, we'll give the President his spending limits and we'll do it by stripping Republican spending out of the bill until we're at bare bones. Well, we'll see how much sway Obey has depending on how the spending impasse is resolved.
Keep in mind, though, that the current continuing budget resolution (CBR) expires this Friday, Dec. 14. If Congress cannot send some other measure such as an AMT fix to the President's desk by Friday, Congress will have to vote publicly on another CBR, which it is loathe to do.
posted by J Rand at 8:39 AM
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