Congress.org (congress.org) presents: MEGAVOTE
for January 28, 2013
In this MegaVote for Georgia's 13th Congressional District:
Recent Congressional
Votes:
- Senate: Temporary Rules
Changes
- Senate: Permanent Rules
Changes
- House: Short-Term
Suspension of Debt Limit Final Passage
Upcoming
Congressional Bills:
- Senate: Disaster Relief
Appropriations Act, 2013
- Senate: To ensure the
complete and timely payment of the obligations of the United States
Government until May 19, 2013, and for other purposes.
The House is in Recess until Monday, February 4.
Recent Senate Votes:
Temporary Rules
Changes
Vote Agreed to (78-16, 6 Not Voting)
The only action in the Senate last week focused on the upper
chamber's internal rules. There has been much bitter recrimination between
majority Democrats and minority Republicans in recent years over a general lack
of productivity, which the majority blames on obstruction - mostly in the form
of a geometric increase in usage of the filibuster - and the minority blames on
stonewalling, mostly in the form of Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada
"filling the amendment tree" on bills brought to the floor, thereby
preventing Republicans (or anyone else, for that matter) from offering
amendments. A group of Democrats led by Tom Udall of New Mexico and Jeff
Merkley of Oregon had been pushing a return to the "talking"
filibuster of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington fame, which they claimed could be
pushed through with a simple majority of 51 votes at the beginning of the 113th
Congress. Udall and Merkley (and most other Democrats) deemed this the
"constitutional" option, since nowhere in the Constitution does it
state that the Senate should operate under anything but majority rule except in
rare circumstances such impeachment of a president and approving treaties.
Republicans dubbed the Merkley/Udall proposal the "nuclear" option,
claiming it would completely destroy what was left of the body's traditional
comity and leave the minority little choice but to engage in parliamentary
guerrilla war to have a voice in the chamber. In the event, the nuclear button
was not pushed, and what changes occurred last week will mostly tinker around
the edges. Senators cast two votes, the first on a temporary rules change
applicable only in the 113th Congress. The biggest effect of the change would
be to limit the ability to filibuster the motion to proceed, which is a procedural
hurdle that must be leapt in order to consider a bill on the floor. If the two
leaders agree on a set of four amendments, two each from the minority and
majority, debate on the motion to proceed would be limited to four hours. The
other change would limit post-cloture debate time on lower-level judges and
executive branch nominees.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted Not Voting
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted YES
I would have to agree that the fillibuster had been
perverted in a way that made the application too easy for the senators. Now
that Saxby Chambliss has announced he willnot be running for reelection, I
suspect that this secret Democrat farmer ally will be both breaking his
original election promises and happily skipping down the yellow brick road with
his frient Lindsey. While I am on old
Sax, in his announcement he made the suggestion that we must find a way to
elect moderate Republicans to the Senate, that to me is clear evidence that he
is out of step with the people that elected him, tough nuts for you having to
answer to voters every six years, it must be so difficult to in general
practice, vote any damned way you want for four and then in the last two years
have to feign a public conscience.
Permanent Rules
Changes
Vote Agreed to (86-9, 5 Not Voting)
The second vote instituted a permanent change to the Senates
rules; it also chiefly concerns the motion to proceed. Currently when the
majority leader files a cloture petition in order to end debate, two days of
session must pass before a cloture vote can be held and, if cloture is invoked,
30 additional hours must pass before voting on the actual matter at hand (in
this case, the motion to proceed to the bill). The rules change would allow a
cloture vote to be held the day after a petition is filed, if the cloture
petition is signed by both the Majority and Minority Leaders and seven members
each from the majority and minority. If cloture on the motion to proceed is
then invoked, senators would immediately vote on the motion instead of waiting
30 hours. The other permanent rules change would condense the process for
motions to go to conference with the House, reducing the number of motions
needed and thus the number of
opportunities to filibuster from three
to one.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted Not Voting
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted YES
Old Saxby figuring that the new changes might force hime
to be active on things that concern him, that or be exposed that nothing
really concerns him.
Recent House Votes:
Short-Term Suspension of Debt Limit Final Passage
Vote Passed (285-144, 3 Not Voting)
The House temporarily defused a looming crisis over the debt
limit last by passing a bill that, rather than raising the limit that is,
setting a new cap on the federal governments borrowing authority actually
suspends it meaning there technically is no limit until May 19, at which point
the limit would be reset at a new, higher level, to reflect government
borrowing activity in the interim period. In addition, the bill would institute
an enforcement mechanism for each house of Congress to pass a FY 2014 budget
resolution. Beginning April 15, if a chamber has not passed a budget, that
chambers members would not receive their paychecks. This would carry on until
the earlier of passage of a budget or the last day of the 113th Congress.
Though House Democrats mostly decried the bill as a gimmick, President Obama
has stated he will sign the bill if it reaches him.
Rep. David Scott voted YES
I think the Demcrats are correct in calling it a gimmick,
what’s to stop the Republicans, led by the Grand Poobaa of Pusscators, Boehner,
will back down at the sign of any serious showdown. That Scott vote fors I have no problem. These damned Republicans need to grow a set
of balls and take the risk of the hit because if they show no backbone, they
will be out in the next election. After all, if the Republicans are not making
progress standing up to the Democrats why should the voters go the party that backs
down from the all of these annoying cyclical cliff hangers? Voters should simply all go for the Democrats,
who will ram every freakin socialist plank up our ass, then tell us how much
better we are off for it.
Upcoming Votes:
Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 - H.R.152
The Senate is scheduled to vote on the Hurricane Sandy
disaster relief package on Monday, January 28, as well as an amendment from
Republican Mike Lee of Utah that would offset the bill's cost with spending
cuts. To ensure the complete and timely
payment of the obligations of the United States Government until May 19, 2013,
and for other purposes. - H.R.325. Majority
Leader Reid has stated he will bring the House debt limit/no-budget-no-pay bill
to the floor.
I thought the world was going to end if the Republicans
didn’t get this through the House immediately?
Governor Christie (aka fat loud mouthed bastard), you deserve to be one
of the many that gets to wait on Senator Reid (whose ancestors include horse
thieves).
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