Spending Bill Nears Passage in the Senate

[NewJerseyDem]

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/01/politics/01COST.html

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 — The largest emergency spending bill in the nation's history, pilloried for two months by opponents as too generous to Iraq, is quietly moving toward final Congressional approval on Monday as an almost complete victory for President Bush.

Shortly after midnight on Friday morning, the House approved the $87.5 billion bill for Iraq and Afghanistan on a vote of 298 to 121. Senate leaders said their chamber would approve the bill on a unanimous voice vote on Monday, indicating that despite lingering concerns Democrats no longer feel there is any point in casting a symbolic vote against it. The bill will then go to the president for his signature.

[Brucey]

1. Bastard unrepresentative government!

Damn Dems have to help out, don't they?

[uhhuh]

2. No point?

If you don't agree with it, you should vote against it. If you just vote yes because you can't get enough no votes, why would you ever vote against the majority on anything. What the hell is going on??

[NewJerseyDem]

3. I guess its for political reasons

They probably don't want to have a vote so that there won't be a vote on record on the issue. It is completely unacceptable to not have a vote on such a major issue. I understand when it is just a minor vote where the vote will be unanimous or close to that but this is one of the most controversial debates in Congress. Hopefully, some senator will try to force a roll call vote.

[Zhade]

4. What the hell???

Um...

I called my senator's office (Boxer) to leave a message to vote against the $87 billion. The woman who answered the phone told me that the vote had already happened (and that Boxer voted no).

Am I going insane?

[NewJerseyDem]

5. There was one vote

However, that was a vote on the senate version which included half of the $20 billion reconstruction money as being loans. Now there will be a vote on the conference report which doesn't have any loans in it. Boxer did vote no on the senate version and would certainly vote no on the final version but no we won't know if other senators that voted yes on the senate version with loans would vote against the conference version without loans.

[gate of the sun]

6. i saw Tom Udall

congressmen speak to us in Santa Fe about 3 weeks ago Iguess to our measly 20 or so protest against the war in Iraq and he said it was going to pass whether we liked it or not. pitiful isin't it.