A Proud Moment in the Senate?
Nothing surprises me in Washington anymore, but what happened in the Senate yesterday has me absolutely despondent. In bipartisan fashion, the upper chamber fawned over themselves to see how fiscally reckless they could get. The bill they considered would create 20 new programs costing over $40 billion over four years. Called the America COMPETES Act, its goal is "to invest in innovation and education to improve the competitiveness of the U.S. in the global economy." Contrary to logic, that naturally meant that tax cuts and school choice weren't part of the bill.
It passed last night 88-8, which is bad enough, but the ease at which good amendments were getting rejected was breath-taking. Here's a sample:
- REJECTED an amendment that would sunset the bill (67-27)
- REJECTED an amendment that would loosen Sarbanes-Oxley restrictions on small businesses (62-35)
- REJECTED an earmark point of order (71-22)
- REJECTED an amendment that would terminate a wasteful corporate welfare program (57-39)
- REJECTED a toothless "Sense of the Senate" amendment stating that the Senate had a moral obligation to offset the cost of the bill!!! (54-43)
Right before the final vote, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that it was "a proud moment for the Senate".
Nothing could be further from the truth.
