Reid's Dems Put Left-Wing Lobbyists First, Filibuster Bill To Protect Victims Of Trafficking

Today in Washington, D.C. - March 17, 2015
The House reconvened at 10 AM. Today the House may consider:
H.R. 1029 - "To amend the Environmental Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act of 1978 to provide for Scientific Advisory Board member qualifications, public participation, and for other purposes."
H.R. 1030 - "To prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from proposing, finalizing, or disseminating regulations or assessments based upon science that is not transparent or reproducible."
H.R. 1191 — "To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to ensure that emergency services volunteers are not taken into account as employees under the shared responsibility requirements contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act."

Yesterday the House passed:
H.R. 284 (Voice Vote) — "To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require State licensure and bid surety bonds for entities submitting bids under the Medicare durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies (DMEPOS) competitive acquisition program, and for other purposes."
H.R. 639 (Voice Vote) — "To amend the Controlled Substances Act with respect to drug scheduling recommendations by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and with respect to registration of manufacturers and distributors seeking to conduct clinical testing."
H.R. 647 (389 - 10) — "To amend title XII of the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize certain trauma care programs, and for other purposes."
H.R. 648 (382 - 15)— "To amend title XII of the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize certain trauma care programs, and for other purposes."
H.R. 876 (395 - 0) — "To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require hospitals to provide certain notifications to individuals classified by such hospitals under observation status rather than admitted as inpatients of such hospitals."

The Senate reconvened at 10 AM and resumed consideration of S. 178, the bipartisan Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015. At 11, Senate Democrats (aka, Leprichauns) voted twice to filibuster the bill, by votes of 55-43.

Yesterday, the Senate voted 94-0 to confirm Carlos Monje, Jr, to be an Assistant Secretary of Transportation.

The AP writes, “Senate Democrats blocked legislation Tuesday to help the victims of human trafficking amid a partisan dispute over abortion that threatens to sink the once-uncontroversial measure. The outcome left the fate of the legislation uncertain and the president's attorney general nominee, Loretta Lynch, caught in the crossfire. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has put off Lynch's confirmation vote until the trafficking bill is resolved, provoking howls from Democrats . . . .

“The vote was 55-43 on a procedural motion to move forward on the bill, short of the 60 needed.

“The bill would create a fund to help victims, and includes measures to make it easier for law enforcement to go after people involved in sex trafficking. It enjoyed wide bipartisan support until early last week, when Democrats began to raise objections over a provision in the bill blocking money in the victims' fund from paying for abortions in most cases.

“Even though similar prohibitions have been included in annual spending bills for decades, Democrats claim the language in the trafficking bill goes further. Republicans noted that the provision had been in the bill for weeks as it passed the Judiciary Committee unanimously and picked up Democratic co-sponsors, but Democrats claimed they never noticed it until just before a floor vote was scheduled.”

McClatchy wrote last night, “Republicans can claim the high ground in that the bill, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, was publicly posted in January and debated and voted on by the Senate Judiciary Committee in February. They argue that it’s not their fault if Democrats did not read it. . . . The bill was posted and even approved unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee. But Democrats didn’t see the provision and Republicans didn’t advertise it. . . . Democrats apparently failed to read the bill until the last minute, setting up the impasse.”

Fed up with Democrats’ excuses, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blasted them on the floor this morning.

“Democrats filibustering help for terrified children and abused women would represent a new low,” he said, “And the American people would not soon forget it. Nor should they. It’s hard to even keep straight anymore why Democrats would filibuster this human-rights bill. The bill Democrats now oppose was introduced months ago by a Democrat and a Republican. The bill Democrats now oppose was originally cosponsored by 13 Democrats. The bill Democrats now oppose was approved by every Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. And the bill Democrats now oppose was brought to the floor last Monday after Democrats agreed unanimously to do so. But that was Monday. By Tuesday, Democrats were threatening to launch a historic filibuster against helping the abused and the enslaved. Democrats’ supposed rationale was that they hadn’t bothered to read the very bill they’d introduced, and cosponsored, and voted for.”

He explained, “The bipartisan Hyde language Democrats now cite as the basis for their human-rights filibuster wouldn’t have been hard to find. It was sitting right there on page four. Democrats would have recognized the bipartisan Hyde provision easily. That’s because so many Senate Democrats voted to support the same bipartisan provision in December when they voted for [the appropriations bill]. . . . The bipartisan Hyde language is supported by about 7 in 10 Americans as a policy principle, and has been part and parcel of the legislating process for decades. It appears in just about every funding bill we consider. And it appears in numerous authorizing bills that have received bipartisan support.

“The Washington Post recently noted in an editorial that ‘the Hyde Act has been in force for four decades,’ and pointedly asked whether the inclusion of this bipartisan provision ‘justifies the defeat of this important legislation.’ Given the long legislative history of this bipartisan provision, and the overwhelming popular support for what it does, the answer, obviously, is no.”

Leader McConnell said, “Let’s remember what this debate should really be about. It shouldn’t be about what left-wing lobbyists want. It should be about helping the victims of modern slavery.”

And yet Democrats have “vote[d] to filibuster help for the oppressed victims of modern slavery,” apparently because left-wing lobbyists who dislike the Hyde Amendment language preventing federal funding for abortions appear to be demanding it.

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