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Padding the Bill
Author: BobR    Date: 09/22/2010 12:12:47

The Senate vote yesterday on the Defense Authorization Bill showed America where Republican Senators' priorities are. They think keeping gays out of the military is more important than ensuring our military continues to even function. Their rationale smacks of hypocrisy, as recent history has shown. "Do as we say - not as we do" seems to be their mantra.

Their beef with the bill? It includes amendments for de-authorizing DADT, and includes the DREAM act, which helps provide a path to citizenship for the most vulnerable among us: children. According to Lyndsey Graham:
"The 'DREAM' Act is a hot topic in the immigration world but not hot among our troops. I've been to Afghanistan and Iraq numerous times and I haven't had one soldier ask me about the DREAM Act. Are they going to get paid more? Do they have the tools to win the war? I think this is politics at its worst. I stand here saying our party has probably abused rules in the past but not like this."

At lease he acknowledges that the Republicans have done the same thing. McCain denies even that:
Prior to Graham, McCain had insisted that in year's past, Republicans "didn't allow" extraneous items to be tacked on to such bills.

No? - perhaps McCain needs a reminder:
Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich) noted ... McCain himself "offered a non-relevant amendment to the defense authorization bill," Levin added, proposing "to acquire campaign finance disclosure by the so-called 527 organizations as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization."

Back in 2005 when the Republicans were solidly in control of Congress, the Republicans added an amendment to shield vaccine makers from lawsuits. What did that have to do with the military? In 2009, John Thune (R-SD) got an amendment added to allow people with concealed carry permits to carry across state lines. Again - completely non-military related.

What's interesting is the politics behind amendments that ARE related. In 2005, the lobbying group U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to the House, requesting that amendments that supported private contractors be added, and amendments that made it more difficult for private contractors to get jobs be removed. That same year, McCain tried to add an amendment to prevent torture, and the White House (Bush) threatened to veto the entire bill. Even this year, the Republicans tried to add authorization for a jet engine the Pentagon has stated they neither want nor need. Democrats get blamed for pork, but this is pork, plain and simple. Republicans have also played politics with the defense bill, like in 2005 when they pulled the bill to avoid embarrassing then president Bush.

In 2007, the Defense Authorization Bill had over 300 amendments in the queue, threatening to drag it down simply by weight of the required procedure to consider them. In 2008, they just said "fuck it", and passed the bill while ignoring 101 potential amendments, which meant some good ones got tossed with the bad.

The problem with the process (for ANY bill) is that tons of amendments get tacked on that are completely unrelated to the original bill. That happened with the DREAM act this time (DADT is absolutely related to Defense), and has happened in the past with both Republicans and Democrats in charge. That it happens with any bill is aggravating; that it happens with such important bills as these should be prohibited.

For Republicans to claim outrage, however, is disingenuous at best and flagrantly hypocritical at worst. Pot - thy name is "kettle".

 

34 comments (Latest Comment: 09/23/2010 00:23:21 by livingonli)
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