House Approves $388 Billion Spending Bill

By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Republicans whisked a $388 billion spending bill through the House on Saturday, a mammoth measure that underscores the dominance of deficit politics by curbing dollars for everything from education to environmental cleanups.

Lawmakers approved the measure by a bipartisan 344-51 margin as their worked over the weekend during their postelection session.

Though not in doubt, passage was taking longer in the Senate. Senators who support abortion rights opposed a plan that would make it easier for health care providers to decline to provide abortions or offer counseling and referrals.

From its tight domestic spending to the Democratic-backed provisions on overtime and other issues that were dropped, the bill is a monument to the GOP's raw power in controlling the White House and Congress.

continued at link....

see also: House Vote 2004-542

America gets it sea legs.

somebody needs to post this on breaking news

tried to sneak in the dead of night and already passed by the house, in this bill access by this administration to unfettered access to every tax return in the us. alaskan senator ted steavens is aying was mistake by staffers inadvertently stuck it in ha ha. also new and radical legislation that any dr or hmo can refuse to notify abortion applicants of their rights. big deal on madona st. somebody get on to this

...to the continuation of the Great Economic Toilet Flush.

The complete redistribution of wealth to its rightful owners is almost complete. Soon, we can all look forward to lifelong debt, no social services, substandard schools (even moreso than now), and service jobs, making sure the rich and powerful are comfortable and taken care of.

I'm no economist, but I don't see how this model is sustainable. Eventually it will implode, but who knows how long that will take? In the meantime, we all get to enjoy their "raw power." Pass the KY, will ya?

:P

RV

when do you think the American economy will collapse?

I think the vote was early 2006.

this whole thing is disgusting, especially modifying and tacking on
BS on major bills.

Treat it like any addiction. Make 'em go cold turkey.

There's lots of ugly tidbits hidden in the bill at the last minute, & some senators are going ballistic!!!

Kent Conrad found an item where they can get ANYONE's tax records, with no court ok.

Conrad is mad & raised a ruckus! McCain joined him. Comments by Leahy, Sarbanes.

Dick Durbin is now leading the debate, & outraged as hell.

Barbara Boxer is now holding the floor...tune in & see govt at work!

The House(no surprise) let us down. The Senate, probably, will do the same.

It's nice to hear somebody there gives a damn.

And McCain is just an odd, odd, odd guy. He must have a swicth on the bottom of his foot that Karl Rove can turn on and off at will.

than most because he knows what is right. But his career is more important to him. What did the House Dems say today?

Thank goodness for them. I love Durbin and I thought the others were terrific. What is wrong with these Republicans? They are all so evil. So will these Dems and McCain vote against this bill?

It's rather amazing how hugely thick the conference report is.

Grassley, powerful Repub, is on the Senate floor right now decrying the bill. It's 3000 pages and composed in the middle of the night behind closed doors and the House passed it and recessed. I don't believe it will pass the Senate. Grassley is discussing the provision for anyone in Congress to look at anyone's tax reports and use it any way he wants with no penalty allowed. Barbara Boxer was outraged over the abortion provision slipped in that will allow any state that receives federal funds (all receive Medicare funds) to preclude any woman from being given not just an abortion but information about her rights under Roe v. Wade. The way Grassley is going, this ominous omnibus bill will not pass the Senate, not today anyway.

:wtf:

*sign of apocalypse*

of "spending". How so? How did the Re-poops become the party of little government? How so? Except that they move us from little US government to one that no longer exists. Welcome Dictators!

Makes for the most distasteful legislative sausage in history.

Good God, these people do NOT know how to govern, do they???

In addition to bankrupting this country and heading us full speed into an economic train wreck, the tax fetishists want to plop intrusive government intervention into the doctor-patient relationship, while gutting government programs like education and health care, that have the most significant long-term payback.

Now Stevens is saying Young of the House Appropriations Committee didn't know the income tax peeping provision was in the bill, that some staff member in the House put it in. McCain is livid, that Stevens would try to excuse this debacle by palming it off on some staffer. As McCain just said, Imagine if some Dem staffer hadn't discovered the provision and the bill had passed the Senate the way it passed the House. Feinstein is saying this was no staffer error; it is an egregious overreach of power. She wants the House called back to session to account.

relationship...

Wasn't his what *b* said John Kerry would do with his "government-run health care plan" ?????? And *b* WAS AGAINST this?????

so.... WHY IS THAT IN THERE?????
I imagine many THINKING senators want to know also.
I heard Ted Kennedy mention it a few moments ago.
:wtf:

There's a vacuum cleaner attached to our treasury....becoming 3rd word even as we speak....

Right now Boxer is berating Stevens over the IRS records thing.
I just cannot believe this is going on!!

Larry Craig (R) has damned the provision in the bill. But he says the system isn't broken because the egregious provision was found. If Kent Conrad's staffer hadn't found the provision, the Senate might have passed the darn thing, especially when you consider it's 3000 pages and they wanted a vote on it today. An unbroken system or just lucky this time? I really think the House Republicans are the worst crooks in history. Our only hope is the vigilence of the Senate. Stevens is back excusing the Repubs and blaming the Dems for being equally at fault.

Senate also stopped a bill that would of allowed anyone to search anyones income tax reform. It was someone from the republican side that put it in a bill that is 3000 pages. Hoping that no one would find it. They put it in a bill of 3000 pages and gave it to the senate to vote on with only 3 hours to vote. This should be criminal. Thank god someone from the democratic side caught it. Even McCain seemed to be upset about it, calling the system a failed system. We need to know who put this in this bill at the last hours. write your Senates and ask to know who did it. They should be put in jail for this egregious act.

Subject: Larry Craig
Message:
Larry Craig (R) has damned the provision in the bill. But he says the system isn't broken because the egregious provision was found. If Kent Conrad's staffer hadn't found the provision, the Senate might have passed the darn thing, especially when you consider it's 3000 pages and they wanted a vote on it today. An unbroken system or just lucky this time? I really think the House Republicans are the worst crooks in history. Our only hope is the vigilence of the Senate. Stevens is back excusing the Repubs and blaming the Dems for being equally at fault.

The senate isn't passing this monstrousity. Where the hell was Pelosi on this? This is ridiculous.

People we need to take heed of what is going on. I always said give power to some people and it goes to their heads. If this does pass look out for everyone. Not just the democrates the republicans too. I would love to see the income tax return for the church down the street and I would love to see my neighbors tax return and know everything they do. Is this what we really want?

as per her statement after the election.

As usual.

Rep Obey from WI eloquently denounced the bill on c-span today only say that he will reluctantly support it. I am so confused! If the repubs want this bill, then they should have passed it on their own......

This is invasion of privacy. The republicans where hoping that no one would of caught it. Now they act like they didn't know nothing about it. They are all starting to say they would of passed it without reading it. If not for a Democrat it would of been passed. Gees what is wrong with this picture?

27 Republicans voted against it. Without the support of Pelosi and others, Republicans could have never passed it.

Divide and conquer! :nopity:

By GREG WINTER and DIANA JEAN SCHEMO
Published: November 21, 2004

The federal government will be able to require millions of college students to shoulder more of the cost of their education under the new spending bill approved yesterday by the House.
The government moved to change its formula for college aid last year, but was blocked by Congress. Now, however, no such language appears in the appropriations bill lawmakers are considering, clearing the way for the government to scale back college grants for hundreds of thousands of low-income students.
Nearly 100,000 more students may lose their federal grants entirely, as Congress considers legislation that could place more of the financial burden for college on students and their families. (continued)

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/21/education/21pell.html?oref=login

If this passe's this would be a really sad day in America. Didn't bush in one of the debates say they need school?

We have put a mad man in control of our country, this is a sad time in America.

I mean holy CRAP! WTF?

UGGGHHHHH!!!

As John McCain (I think) said, "I don't think anyone would be physically capable of reading all 3300 pages" considering they just got this bill off the printer a few hours ago...

Ted Stevens needs to be horsewhipped, by the way.

CSPAN2 NOW - GOP caught redhanded, Dems going off
by kd4dean
Sat Nov 20th, 2004 at 14:50:41 PST

elevated from the diaries by DemFromCT. Watch this if you can. Ted Stevens has just apologized to the entire Senate and pulled the IRS provision that Stevens said was 'slipped into the bill' by 'some staffer'. The provision apparantly allowed certain Chairs of Senate committees to have access to anyone's IRS data (like the Texas DA going after DeLay). Harken wants to know who the staffer is. Watch the show live. McCain was livid. So was Grassley, both (R).
Sen. Conrad from ND just called the GOP out on this budget bill. Apparently they stuck a provision that removes any expectations of privacy regarding our tax returns in the middle of this 3000 page bill in the middle of the night. They didn't tell the Dems. But they caught them. This is amazing to watch - they're going OFF.

This tactic is NOT new, but getting caught and having Dems throw fits IS.

Diaries :: kd4dean's diary ::

I changed title so people would know what it's about. Plus I found this on the Weldon Amendment - http://www.latinainstitute.org/policy.html Weldon Amendment One particularly harmful amendment to the proposed Labor-HHS Appropriations bill in the House of Representatives is the Weldon Amendment. This provision would allow healthcare entities to refuse to provide abortion services, counsel women about abortion, pay for abortions for low-income women, and refer women to healthcare professionals who provide abortion services. States that refuse to comply with this Amendment risk losing federal funding for health, labor and education programs. Latinas, along with all women, risk losing essential reproductive health services if this Amendment passes.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/11/20/171329/43

since the other thread was deleted, ill put it here.

Boxer was complaining that this had never been debated in the Senate
but that there was no way to have it removed.

She got Frisk to agree in advance to debate and vote the repeal
of this amendment by April 16th and basically no sneaky scheduling
of that repeal debate.

When america turns its attention to gift and food buying and traveling, Congress really comes in BIG TIME to screw us all.

And I must say, the old guy's doing a nice job.

Quote from him: "The White House is meddling. This is a White House which does not seem to recognize that there is a separation of powers. A White House which does not seem to recognize that this legislative body is not subordinate."