Today in Washington D. C. - March 3, 2008
On The Floor: Senate reconvenes at 2 PM today. At 3:30, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CSPC) overhaul bill (S. 2663) with a cloture vote on the motion expected at 5:30. After failing to get cloture on the motion to proceed to their Housing bill (S. 2636), Democrats pulled the bill from the floor while they decide how to move forward on it. This week marks the beginning of the yearly budget debate; the Senate Budget Committee is scheduled to mark up the Democrats’ fiscal 2009 budget proposal on Wednesday and Thursday.
From Senate & News Sources: It has been Over Two Weeks since Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrat leadership allowed the Protect America Act to lapse. Sen. Mitch McConnell in The Cincinnati Enquirer op-ed , laid out the consequences of the Democrats' inaction: “Intelligence officials who once could listen to phone conversations between terrorists overseas with appropriate speed are now legally barred from following new leads without first following antiquated, bureaucratic procedures - even if neither of the terrorists is physically within the U.S. . . . As the House reconvenes, the Democratic leadership must allow a vote on this vital national-security legislation to ensure we are doing all we can to keep our citizens safe. As lawmakers, we have no higher responsibility.” In addition, a Justice Dept. official highlighted for The Washington Post the lawsuit problem that the immunity provision for telecom companies is designed to address: “The whole point of [the] litigation is discovery of information. Obviously there is information here that could be damaging to national security if it was released, and of course that is a major concern.”
There are signs that House Democrats are starting to feel the pressure. House Intelligence Comm. Chair Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) told CNN yesterday that a deal to bring FISA legislation to a vote on the House floor this week could be in the works. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) has been under pressure to hold a vote from Blue Dog Democrats who support the Senate-passed FISA modernization bill. There has been discussion on the House splitting the bill and holding separate votes on the surveillance and immunity provisions. Based on speculation this morning this seems unlikely. Tthe best and easiest way to give our intelligence community the tools to continue keeping this country safe is for the House to take up and pass the Senate bill which a majority of House members support.
Meanwhile, in domestic economic discussions, Democrats have been loud in their denunciations of the cost of the war in Iraq. Some have even suggested that those costs are contributing to the current economic slowdown. Interestingly, Mother Jones, perhaps the last publication expected to do so, warned Democrats about this line of argument by noting: “Many economists say this isn’t so.”
Tags: Consumer Product Safety Commission, CSPC, Protect America Act, FISA, product safety, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
From Senate & News Sources: It has been Over Two Weeks since Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrat leadership allowed the Protect America Act to lapse. Sen. Mitch McConnell in The Cincinnati Enquirer op-ed , laid out the consequences of the Democrats' inaction: “Intelligence officials who once could listen to phone conversations between terrorists overseas with appropriate speed are now legally barred from following new leads without first following antiquated, bureaucratic procedures - even if neither of the terrorists is physically within the U.S. . . . As the House reconvenes, the Democratic leadership must allow a vote on this vital national-security legislation to ensure we are doing all we can to keep our citizens safe. As lawmakers, we have no higher responsibility.” In addition, a Justice Dept. official highlighted for The Washington Post the lawsuit problem that the immunity provision for telecom companies is designed to address: “The whole point of [the] litigation is discovery of information. Obviously there is information here that could be damaging to national security if it was released, and of course that is a major concern.”
There are signs that House Democrats are starting to feel the pressure. House Intelligence Comm. Chair Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) told CNN yesterday that a deal to bring FISA legislation to a vote on the House floor this week could be in the works. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) has been under pressure to hold a vote from Blue Dog Democrats who support the Senate-passed FISA modernization bill. There has been discussion on the House splitting the bill and holding separate votes on the surveillance and immunity provisions. Based on speculation this morning this seems unlikely. Tthe best and easiest way to give our intelligence community the tools to continue keeping this country safe is for the House to take up and pass the Senate bill which a majority of House members support.
Meanwhile, in domestic economic discussions, Democrats have been loud in their denunciations of the cost of the war in Iraq. Some have even suggested that those costs are contributing to the current economic slowdown. Interestingly, Mother Jones, perhaps the last publication expected to do so, warned Democrats about this line of argument by noting: “Many economists say this isn’t so.”
Tags: Consumer Product Safety Commission, CSPC, Protect America Act, FISA, product safety, US Congress, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Posted by Bill Smith at 11:00 AM - Post Link
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