by Mark Silva
House Republican Leader John Boehner crows that he and his colleagues have blocked the $1-million “Hippie Museum'' in the $150-billion spending bill that President Bush has vetoed – with that veto narrowly sustained in the House last night in a vote of 277-141 to override the president.
The American Cancer Society complains that something else has been blocked as well: More than $1 billion for cancer research.
Such is the state of the standoff between Congress and President Bush over key elements of the new federal budget which Bush complains Congress has politicized and loaded with “pork.'' Boehner has rolled out a list of that pork, including the Woodstock-dedicated museum at Bethel, N.Y.
With Democratic congressional leaders attempting to boost Bush's spending recommendations by about $22 billion, Senate Leader Harry Reid suggests they may have to simply split the difference – but that deal is not likely to be cut until after Thanksgiving. The president, who will pardon the Thanksgiving turkey at the White House next week, insists that has no patience for the pork in the spending bill that he has vetoed.
Republicans only narrowly sustained that veto last night, the tally falling just two votes shy of a veto override. Congress already has overriden Bush on one budget veto, on a $23-billion Water Resources Development Act.
But the White House and Congress still face differences over nearly a dozen spending bills for the 2008 budget year already underway. Reid told reporters that when Congress returns from a two-week Thanksgiving recess Democrats will send Bush a catchall spending bill combining the unfinished budget work — after cutting about $11 billion from the bills. Democrats have written domestic spending bills adding more than $22 billion to Bush's budget, prompting a wave of veto threats from the White House.
“We're going to bundle these bills up and send a bill splitting the difference," Reid, (D-Nev.) told reporters.
The Bethel museum is not the only cause caught in the middle of this dispute between Democrats and the president.
Daniel Smith, president of the American Cancer Society Action network, complains that cancer research also is at stake in the $150-billion, health, education and labor spending bill that Bush has vetoed. The president's budget cuts National Institutes of Health research funding by $1.4 billion, he says.
"After years of cut or flat funding, existing research projects are in danger of being shut down and new research endeavors could struggle to get needed resources, making it difficult to get critical prevention, detection and treatment measures from the labs to the doctors' offices and the patients who need them most,'' Smith says. “The president's demand to reduce government spending should not come at the expense of cancer patients and their families.... Now Congress needs to stand by that commitment (of the vetoed bill) and send the president a bill that gives hope to families in cancer's path.''
But there is less serious business at stake in the “earmarks'' that Democratic leaders have stuffed in the vetoed bill, Boehner insists.
“merican taxpayers shouldn’t be asked to subsidize billions in worthless pork and excessive spending at a time when family budgets are tight and health care and gas prices are skyrocketing,'' Boehner (R-Ohio) says.
With a sampler, Boehner's office maintains that "the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations conference report (H.R. 3043) contains 2,215 earmarks totaling $678 million. Among the millions in worthless pork included in the bill are:
-- $300,000 requested by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for an “Exploratorium” in her district – one of more than $4.5 million in earmarks Speaker Pelosi has piled onto the troops and veterans bill.
-- $1 million requested by Sens. Harry Reid (D-NV), Robert Byrd (D-WV), Tim Johnson (D-SD), and Tom Harkin (D-IA) for the Thomas Daschle Center for Public Service and Representative Democracy in Brookings, South Dakota. This earmark was “airdropped” into the conference report without any debate or public scrutiny in the House or Senate.
--- Up to $1 million for a Hippie Museum at the Bethel Performing Arts Center in New York.
-- $1 million requested by Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Mark Pryor (D-AR) for the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock.
-- $100,000 requested by Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA) for O’Neill Sea Odyssey, an “educational” program conducted “on board a 65-foot catamaran sailing Monterey Bay.”
-- $3.2 million for 56 programs in the Departments of Education, Labor, and Health and Human Services that the President’s Budget proposed to terminate, such as $9 million for an Exchanges with Historic Whaling and Trading Partners Program.
-- $1.5 million requested by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) for the Working for America Institute, a union-based training program.''
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Comments
Interesting omission that the million dollars for the Hippie Museum were requested by Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer. Hmmmmmm!
Posted by: Harrison | November 16, 2007 10:10 AM
Harrison,
They may have supported the museum (after all, it's slated to be in a depressed area of NY), but I doubt they devised the plan or the pork as your post infers.
Besides, $1 million probably wouldn't pay for a week's worth of lime jello in the Pentagon cafeteria.
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | November 16, 2007 10:30 AM
Where were Boehner and his colleagues from 2000 to 2006? I think frivolous pork needs to stop by both parties but I find the Republican's comments particularly disingenuous when they engaged in the same nonsense with Bush conveniently turning a blind eye.
Posted by: Kevin | November 16, 2007 11:08 AM
Regardless of whether it's just a "million dollars," I thought the Dems were going to issue in responsible spending, no???
Dems never have been for responsible spending. They are just for spending, period.
I wasn't wild about the needless spending the Republicans did in Congress the past 5-6 years, I am definitely not wild about the reckless spending being bandied about the Democrats.
Really, Kenny Bunkport, whether the Woodstock area is "depressed" or not, how would a hippie museum and $1 million improve things? What, it would provide two or three low-paying jobs? Easier access to some weed?
Posted by: John D | November 16, 2007 11:09 AM
Isn't it a amazing?? All the pork projects were proposed by Democrats!!! Not one cent for the Republicans!!
Now add up all the money for those projects, and compare that to Ted Stevens' bridge to nowhere - that Bush signed off on!!!
And cutting $1.5 billion from cancer research - nice!!! Defend THAT one, Johnny, Brucie, etc.
Posted by: BobinATL | November 16, 2007 11:14 AM
Bash this museum. Revive memories of the '60s. That's a good "winning" strategy Republics. Bring all the repressed memories of the once young, passionate anti-establishment back. I'm sure you'll get boomers to want to stay in Iraq indefinately then. Take this ball and run with it Boehner!
Posted by: jethro | November 16, 2007 11:16 AM
Let's replace the elephant and the donkey as political symbols.
They should be replaced by red pigs and blue pigs.
The problem with the traditional, give and take, system used in Congress is that you can't get anything worthwhile done without doing something stupid.
Posted by: San Miguel | November 16, 2007 12:16 PM
Don't worry about that iceberg! We've got deck chairs to rearrange.
Posted by: The Captain of the Titanic | November 16, 2007 12:22 PM
It is difficult to understand why politicians can't play it straight up and instead they tar themselves with the same feathers as the opposition. Why put a "bull's eye on your back with your defense being -- the Republicans did it. Send him a clean bill and trumpet it accordingly; instead they hand him a ball bat to hit them over the head with. It is especially egregious when the leadership (Pelosi) can't resist pandering to her immediate constituency.
Posted by: Frank | November 16, 2007 12:23 PM
Bobin, I am all for cancer research funding, but it was lumped in with earmarks and silly spending. Take the cancer research funding and put it in its own bill, and I am fine with that. Lump it in with needless, reckless, ridiculous spending, and I would have to go with killing the entire bill then.
Posted by: John D | November 16, 2007 12:31 PM
Lump it in with needless, reckless, ridiculous spending, and I would have to go with killing the entire bill then.
Posted by: John D | November 16, 2007 12:31 PM
So the Democrats shouldn't lump it in with spending for the War in Iraq then?
Posted by: AJF | November 16, 2007 12:42 PM
Little Johnny,as reported on Faux News:
Congressional conservatives announced earlier this month that they had mapped out a plan to engage in a "war over earmarks" with the majority in Congress by targeting "certain earmarks" deemed "egregious" and "wasteful" to attack spending priorities. This "war over earmarks" coincides with President Bush's strategy to veto nearly all appropriations bills passed by Congress. But as Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Scott Lilly notes, "No one with any recollection of the performance of Congress over the past decade can have any doubt that earmarking exploded during that period" and "that the practice became most egregious after George W. Bush moved into the Oval office." When former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) placed earmarks in the transportation bill to turn a profit on his personal property, Bush applauded. When former Senate Appropriations Chairman Ted Stevens (R-AK) tried to secure funding for a "bridge to nowhere," Bush said nothing. Now the new majority in Congress is beginning to repair the damage. An analysis by Citizens Against Government Waste estimates that earmarks in FY08 appropriations bills are "down about 33 percent from the $29 billion in earmarks in FY06 spending bills." (See a graphic here.) "While asserting that more progress hacking earmarks off of spending bills must be made, Citizens Against Government Waste Vice President David Williams said there was credit to go around on Capitol Hill for the reduction that has occurred." At a time when Congress is cutting into earmark practices, Bush and his congressional allies have opted to play disingenuous political games, in hopes of making the American public forget conservatives' long tenure of fiscal irresponsibility.
"The single biggest earmark in the Labor-HHS-Education section of the bill belongs to Sen. Richard C. Shelby, R-Ala., who won $9.3 million for the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The second-largest was requested by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. -- $8.4 million for the University of Louisville Research Foundation." If Bush were serious about restraining spending and cutting earmarks, he would take on McConnell and Shelby, but he has yet to do so.
And you were saying Little johnny...................
Posted by: Raving Loon | November 16, 2007 12:43 PM
Raving Loon's facts...making my...head...hurt...Must counter facts with hate...Raw hate
Posted by: Typical Republican | November 16, 2007 1:41 PM
Loon, that is why many Republican voters were angry with Republican politicians: for spending too much on pork! The Road to Nowhere: Not needed! Wasteful!
Republicans got the message and now are living more frugally. Hopefully they will keep that message for many years to come.
Posted by: John D | November 16, 2007 2:07 PM
Way to go, Prez!
Veto the earmarks and the pork, no matter whether it's Republican or Democrat-sponsored pork.
Posted by: Joe Sixpack | November 16, 2007 2:30 PM
I think you are all missing the point here...I think this is a bit of brilliant strategy work by the Dems. NOTHING can raise a Republican's hackles more than the mere mention of the word 'hippie'. They are more terrified of them than death. The proposal for the 'hippie museum' gave them a really great windmill to tilt and a bargaining chip that helped override a veto. Nicely done, Dems. Let's see more of this.
Posted by: DD | November 16, 2007 2:37 PM
"The single biggest earmark in the Labor-HHS-Education section of the bill belongs to Sen. Richard C. Shelby, R-Ala., who won $9.3 million for the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The second-largest was requested by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. -- $8.4 million for the University of Louisville Research Foundation." If Bush were serious about restraining spending and cutting earmarks, he would take on McConnell and Shelby, but he has yet to do so.
You're right Johnny - those Republicans are sure living more frugally!!!!
Posted by: BobinATL | November 16, 2007 3:03 PM
KB,
If the museum is such a great idea, maybet Warren Buffet can finance it?
Kevin,
The GOP Congress sunk their own ship, maybe, just maybe, they are learning a lesson.
Posted by: Terry | November 16, 2007 5:25 PM
"House Republican Leader John Boehner crows that he and his colleagues have blocked the $1-million “Hippie Museum''
I've been to the Woodstock Bearsville area, and this project would help tourism up there allot. Tourism accounts for a great deal of the economy in that part of New York. GOP mutant John D would know that if he'd ever been there. But as usual John D rants away.
See comment below.
Really, Kenny Bunkport, whether the Woodstock area is "depressed" or not, how would a hippie museum and $1 million improve things? What, it would provide two or three low-paying jobs? Easier access to some weed?
Posted by: John D | November 16, 2007 11:09 AM
Your grasp of economics is...unimpressive.
Posted by: Logic Prisoner | November 16, 2007 5:27 PM
John D,
Don't worry, they'll probably post their vacancies once their website is up. Terry can serve as your reference. My advice: keep the car keys straight and you'll get better tips.
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | November 17, 2007 7:15 AM
Where was Boehner when Sen. Stevens wanted $200 million for his "Bridge to Nowhere" that would serve only 50 people, yet a "hippie museum" that will serve thousands of people annually is not worthy of federal funding?
Posted by: BC | November 17, 2007 12:08 PM
BC,
As you mother probably taught you, two wrongs don't make a right.
Posted by: Terry | November 17, 2007 1:07 PM
I support the support of the 'Hippie Museum' over 'Big Cancer' any day!!
Posted by: C.Morris | November 17, 2007 7:59 PM
Let's see;
A one million dollar unnecessary Hippie Museum or a one trillion dollar unnecessary war? Hmmmm. Which should it be??
Posted by: C.Morris | November 17, 2007 8:04 PM
CM,
How many prayer rugs do you require?
Posted by: Terry | November 18, 2007 1:16 PM
Terry,
Why? Are they on sale?
How many actual prayer rugs did Bush prevent from being sold?
Posted by: Terrie | November 18, 2007 4:39 PM
Terrie,
You might need a burka if CM had his way.
To answer yoiur questions, probably in the millions. If AlGore were present, the planet might be a.01 degree cooler, bu our knees would be much sorer from all the daily praying we would be forced to do. We saw the dems answer to terrorism - a crusile misle and a crusie missle there with no postiove effects.
Posted by: Terry | November 18, 2007 7:40 PM