[Dialogue] House legislative year ends with all-nighter

Mon Dec 19 13:47:29 EST 2005

Colleagues, the work of the US America congeress! Peace, Harry 
  _____  

 <http://www.cnn.com> CNN.com

House legislative year ends with all-nighter

Lawmakers pass measures on Katrina relief, Alaska drilling

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House lawmakers opened the way for oil drilling in the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as one of their last acts of an all-night
session Monday bringing their legislative year to a close.

The House also narrowly passed a plan to cut deficits by almost $40 billion
over five years in legislation hailed by GOP conservatives as a sign their
party was returning to fiscal discipline and assailed by Democrats as
victimizing medical and education programs that help the poor.

The ANWR provision was attached to a major defense bill, forcing many
opponents of oil and gas exploration in the barren northern Alaska range to
vote for it. The bill, passed 308-106, devoted money to bird flu preventive
measures and $29 billion to hurricane relief, including funds for
reconstructing New Orleans' levees.

The deficit measure, passed 212-206, carried an extension of expiring
welfare laws and repealed a program that compensates companies hurt by
trading partners who "dump" their exports in this country.

The votes came before sunrise as bleary-eyed legislators struggled to wrap
up their work for the year. Democratic anger over the process was put aside
briefly as lawmakers greeted Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, who returned to vote
after suffering a heart attack Thursday.

While House lawmakers were heading for the exits, the end was not in sight
for the Senate, which can't leave for Christmas until it deals with spending
bills and the deficit-cutting package and overcomes a filibuster on renewing
the Patriot Act. A Senate vote on the deficit reduction bill could come
Monday.

A $453 billion defense spending bill became the flypaper for issues that
have eluded congressional compromise. Those included, along with the ANWR
provision, $29 billion in federal aid for victims of Katrina and other
storms; an additional $2 billion to help low-income families with home
heating costs; and $3.8 billion to prepare for a possible bird flu pandemic.
Of the defense money, $50 billion is for military operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan.

Also in the bill is the compromise language worked out between Sen. John
McCain, R-Arizona, and the White House banning the cruel, inhumane and
degrading treatment of prisoners in U.S. custody.

Democrats and moderate Republicans have for years blocked drilling in ANWR,
and its inclusion in the defense bill exposed that bill to a possible
filibuster in the Senate that can only be broken with a 60-vote majority.

Democrats complained that they were being forced to accept ANWR drilling
with their vote on military spending and hurricane relief.

Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, the top Democrat on the Appropriations
Committee, denounced the ANWR provision and another last-minute addition
sought by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee: liability
protection for vaccine makers in most circumstances, coupled with a
compensation fund to individuals harmed by the shots they receive.

"There is something especially outrageous about the willingness of the
majority party leadership to allow the Defense Department bill, in a time of
war, to be held hostage to totally unrelated special interest items," Obey
said.

GOP conservatives, disturbed that their party has overseen a surge in
government spending and massive federal deficits, applauded a provision in
the defense bill that would cut all discretionary federal programs, except
those affecting veterans, by 1 percent in fiscal 2006, producing savings of
$8.5 billion.

They also hoped to take home news of the $40 billion deficit-cutting bill,
which will hardly make a dent in the nation's $8 trillion debt but would be
the first time since 1997 that Congress has reined in the growth in spending
on federal benefits programs.

"Tonight the Congress will renew our commitment to the principles of fiscal
discipline and limited government that minted this majority," said Rep. Mike
Pence, R-Indiana, who leads a group of House conservatives.

Republicans originally put the savings at $41.6 billion, but that figure was
later reduced to $39.7 billion with restoration of Medicare payments for
oxygen patients, a late concession to lawmakers with interests in the
durable medical equipment industry.

Planned spending on Medicare was estimated to fall by $6.4 billion and
Medicaid by $4.8 billion. Another $13 billion would be saved from student
loan programs, in part by establishing a fixed 6.8 percent interest rate
instead of maintaining lower variable rates.

The largest single savings in Medicare would reduce anticipated federal
funding for the private HMOs established under 2003 Medicare legislation.

Officials said the changes to Medicaid include an attempt to make it harder
for the elderly to transfer their assets to children or others in order to
qualify for federal nursing home benefits.

Lawmakers had to abandon other measures that would have expanded the
deficit-cutting package. They agreed, at a cost of $7.3 billion, to
eliminate a scheduled 4.6 percent cut in physician payments under Medicare.

The House early Monday passed, on a 374-41 vote, a separate defense bill
that sets Pentagon policy and authorizes military programs. Action on the
bill was held up by resistance to an attempt by Republican leaders to attach
language, eventually removed, to limit individual political donations to
independent organizations, a source of financing that proved especially
valuable to Democratic candidates in 2004.

The bill contains a 3.1 percent pay raise for military personnel, an
increase in the death gratuity for the families of active duty personnel to
$100,000 and an increase in the enlistment bonuses for active duty to
$40,000.

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