And taxpayer money.
"Congress gears up for elections with flurry of votes; Laws unlikely to result from the posturing" May 06, 2011|By Mark Arsenault, Globe Staff
WASHINGTON — The bipartisan feel-good moment over the Osama bin Laden raid was fleeting. Democrats and Republicans returned to their confrontational posture the past two days, fiercely debating abortion and tax subsidies for oil companies.
But the most recent fury and flurry of votes are not likely to produce many new laws this year, and both sides know it....
“I consider these kinds of votes as reaffirming to the base,’’ said former Massachusetts congressman William Delahunt, a Democrat who represented the South Shore and Cape Cod. “Not that the members don’t have strong beliefs about these issues, but these are, pure and simple, political votes.’’
Lawmakers also know legislation on contentious topics often takes more than one try to pass.
Yesterday, House Democrats tried to force a vote on ending some tax breaks for big oil companies. The GOP beat back the effort, but now Democrats will use the vote to argue that Republicans support billions in tax breaks for some of the world’s most profitable companies. With such companies as Exxon Mobil Corp. reporting $11 billion in profits this past quarter, Democrats believe this is an issue ripe for the stump.
Then how come you they do anything about when you held a filibu$ter-proof majority?
Earlier this week, House Republicans overpowered resistance from Democrats to pass the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,’’ which would strip tax deductions from people who buy private insurance that covers abortion and from businesses that offer benefit plans that cover the procedure....
The chances that the bill will be enacted into law this year are next to zero: President Obama has threatened to veto it, though the Democratic-controlled Senate is expected to kill the bill first....
Like an abortion?
Despite the frequent posturing, the two parties came together last month — facing a potential government shutdown — to pass a bipartisan spending plan.
Vice President Joe Biden is trying to duplicate that success by hosting talks with members of Congress aimed at finding a compromise on raising the ceiling on how much the government can borrow, and a bipartisan group of senators known as the Gang of Six has been meeting privately in an effort to strike a deal to address the federal deficit in the long term....
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Related:
"President Obama and lawmakers of both parties face an Aug. 2 deadline to enact legislation that permits the government to increase its borrowing authority and meet its obligations to lenders.
Banks are always first in line.
Failure to raise the debt limit beyond the current $14.3 trillion would call into question the creditworthiness of the US government and trigger an economic crisis....
Like we are not in one now?
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Related: MSM Monitor Ready to Hit Roof
