$78 Billion To Be Slashed From Stimulus; Coburn Stalls Vote

by: Chris Bowers

Thu Feb 05, 2009 at 13:32


What started with slashing contraceptive funding has now escalated into removing $78 billion from the stimulus package. Elena Schor has the details:

Sens. Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Susan Collins (R-ME) have come up with a list of $77.9 billion in programs they want slashed from the stimulus package, according to a staff paper outlining the cuts.

Among the biggest cuts on the list: $24.8 billion in state stabilization money for education, which was intended to plug existing budget holes; $15 billion in state incentive grants for education; and $1.4 billion for the National Science Foundation, which is wracked by a porn-viewership flap.

This is about 15% of the public spending from the House version of the stimulus. Given that apparently twenty or so Senators, mainly Democrats, are involved with the Collins-Nelson group, it is a pretty safe bet than this funding will be slashed.

However, don't expect it to be voted on anytime soon. Tom Coburn is going to hold up the bill until he gets 15 more amendments:

And we're told by the majority leader that we have to finish up, so we can get to conference.

This bill ought to have a thousand amendments on it, if we're truly going to do the work of the American people. We ought to debate this bill line by line.

I will not agree to any unanimous consent until the next 15 amendments that I've got have a scheduled time to be brought up, so the American people can hear of all the stinky stuff in this bill.

This is going well.
Chris Bowers :: $78 Billion To Be Slashed From Stimulus; Coburn Stalls Vote

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$78 Billion To Be Slashed From Stimulus; Coburn Stalls Vote | 33 comments
Who are these 20? (4.00 / 1)
Mostly Democrats so they may be easier to pressure.  About half of the Senate Dems last session were more "conservative" and this is every one of them.  They are cutting their own states, the fools.

Harry? Put out the fire before everything burns down.  PS, I don't hear the name but Baucus has to be in this crew.

yeah, let's see some names (4.00 / 3)
I'd be shocked to learn that there are even 10 Democrats who would support those ridiculous Nelson/Collins cuts. And I also find it hard to believe that they couldn't be influenced by Obama or phone calls -- once we learn who they are.

And, I find it hard to believe anything Collins says. First she said there were $200 billion in spending cuts she wanted. Then she said $100 billion. Now she's saying $77 billion. And from Obama's remarks today, it doesn't sound like he was too impressed with the list of cuts to education, energy, and states.

And reading the TPM list, it contains footnotes indicating that there is not full agreement on many of these cuts. And I don't think the state governors would be happy with cutting $50 billion in state grants.

[ Parent ]
this would be a pretty good one to call about (4.00 / 2)
Even with 20 senators, I don't see how they would reach the 60 votes that we always seem to need for amendments.  But of course the rules are different for the so-called centrists.


New Jersey politics at Blue Jersey.
Call your Senators (4.00 / 1)
Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121

John McCain <3 lobbyists
[ Parent ]
Ugh (4.00 / 6)
Weeee! Let's let tens of thousands of teachers get laid off. Thanks Collins/Nelson!

The details seem to be evolving by the minute. But I guess if Collins has it out for teachers then she's gonna get her way. I wonder what will happen to the Conrad housing amendment and the Murry infrastructure amendment.  

John McCain: Beacuse lobbyists should have more power

If 58 Dems supported the Murray amendment (0.00 / 0)
Then where are Collins and Nelson going to find 10 votes to cut out all this funding for science, education, infrastructure?

It doesn't add up.

[ Parent ]
Depends on if leadership decides they need to swallow this pill (0.00 / 0)
to pass the bill. Which would be a large tactical error because all they need is to keep the Dems in line and get Specter and Grassley or Specter and Snowe on board.

Unless leadership thinks they can get the cuts restored in conference.

[ Parent ]
Snowe's hopeless (4.00 / 2)
She's soaking up the publicity.  She was all over Tv last night and her picture, not Collins, was leading the newspaper stories.  The best chances look like Specter, Grassley, and Voinovich to me.  Voinovich is a former Mayor of Cleveland and Governor of Ohio.  He's retiring.  My gut says that these kind of cuts won't sit well with him.
[ Parent ]
I wouldn't trust voinovich (4.00 / 1)
Grassley is taking more heat from the labor group in Iowa.

So my targets would be
1. Grassley
2. Specter
3. Nelson
4. Landrieu

Sad that there's any Democrats on the list we have to worry about, but there it is.


[ Parent ]
Looking back at 1933 (4.00 / 2)
FDR didn't have this much trouble with Congress...and his Congressional majorities weren't much larger.

Of course he had Republicans willing to help him, namely Senator George Norris of Nebraska, Arthur Capper of Kansas, Robert LaFollette of Wisconsin and Philip Goldsborough of Maryland.

NFR83 (0.00 / 0)
sned me an email at christopher_j_bowers@yahoo.com
[ Parent ]
did they have this painless filibuster then? (0.00 / 0)
That seems to be the real problem.  

New Jersey politics at Blue Jersey.
[ Parent ]
Yeah they did (4.00 / 2)
but they didn't have nearly enough power to use it. Roosevelt had enough votes to break any filibuster because he had the entire Democratic caucus (some like Huey Long though Roosevelt was TOO conservative) and he had Republicans like Norris and LaFolette on his side.
[ Parent ]
thanks! (0.00 / 0)


New Jersey politics at Blue Jersey.
[ Parent ]
That's Not True (0.00 / 0)
Breaking filibusters required a 2/3rds vote, not 3/5ths as is the case today.  But people had to actually filibuster, not just threaten to.  The practice of constantly letting the threats stand in for the real thing is much more recent.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3
[ Parent ]
Applying a principle (4.00 / 2)
That some Democrats would participate in reducing the effectiveness of the jobs and public investment bill while validating recently-emerging GOPer concerns about spending is hardly a surprise.  Some cuts are likely inevitable, at least so long as Obama is committed to posing as bipartisan and is unwilling to crack Dem heads in the Senate.

The principle I would fight for as a fall back if the whole amount cannot be fought off is this: match spending cuts dollar for dollar with eliminating tax cuts.  

The Dems and some GOPers talk in terms of wasteful spending but avoiding increasing the deficit is the only persuasive underlying rationale (not persuasive to me mind you, but to the fiscal hawks in and out of Congress that drone on and on about wasteful spending).  Stabilizing state budgets and promoting education spending is nearly as direct a stimulus as infrastructure spending and likely an even better contributor to long term growth, certainly a better stimulus than more corporate tax giveaways.  Cutting NSF funding makes me so angry I can barely continue.

But let's assume the price for an additional few less whacked out GOPers and wavering conservative Dems is to limit increases in the debt.  My proposed principle says:

"Fine, you want to cut deficit spending by X dollars.  Here's the counter: Half comes from reduced spending and half comes from eliminating business tax giveaways.  Everyone needs to pitch in.  This is true bi-partisanship".

States (4.00 / 3)
How could any of them be against helping the states?  They all come from a state, right???  What idiots.

Stopping states from laying off workers is one of the fastest, most direct form of stimulus.  

For this bill to work, it has to be a "hodge podge" of spending.  In any specific area there will be diminishing returns.  By maximizing the variety of segments of our economy that get stimulus we also maximize the effectiveness.  Someone really needs to be out there selling this point.

TPM got a hold of the staff memo (4.00 / 3)
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.c...

Interesting.

Main items of contention seem to be the state stabilization funds and Pell Grants. Pell Grants and Child Care Block Grants seem to be in currently while 40 billion of state stabilization is out. In addition it seems the 5.5 billion for transportation grants (could go to transit or roads) is under discussion as Adam noted in the Quick Hits.

So about 45 billion of their suggested cuts are not good. I'd hope they take a look at the car buyers giveaway and NIH funding they just passed yesterday as both are much less important then not laying off tons of teachers. Also how about removing the 25 billion or so in business tax breaks that don't help the economy? Also maybe the giveaways to coal and nukes could be cut?

Still. Yesterday Collins was talking about cutting the package to 650 billion, Obama gave her a talking too and then she was talking about 800 billion. Now the package is at 900 billion and this would bring it down to 820 which is the size that the House did.

So we're making progress. But give your Senators a call and tell them not to cut transportation funding, Pell Grants or state grants of education. Also can't hurt to mention your support for the Murry infrastructure amendment.    

John McCain: Beacuse lobbyists should have more power

I will go so far as to say (4.00 / 2)
That without state stabilization funds, this stimulus is not worth doing. Those funds are the key to immediate stabilization of the economy. Without them the safety net remains in tatters and spending will continue to shrink. No amount of tax cuts or infrastructure spending can ameliorate the effect of delayed or absent unemployment benefits, or huge numbers of teacher layoffs.
[ Parent ]
I wouldn't say that (0.00 / 0)
there is still a lot of good in it, major downpayments on the new energy economy and on healthcare, UI and foodstamps benifits and more. But cutting the state education stabilization funds would make it a helluva lot more bitter of a pill to swallow.  

John McCain: Beacuse lobbyists should have more power
[ Parent ]
WaPo says 18 (5R,13 D) (4.00 / 3)
The Washington Post says there are 18 (and they met with Obama).  It only names four: Snowe, Collins, Ben Nelson and Mary Landrieu and hints at three others (Specter, McCain, Baucus).  This group, especially the Democrats, are afraid to step into the daylight.  They may very well be susceptible to pressure.

Cuts in aid to states seems to top their list while the useless business tax cuts remain.  They claim to be paring the list based on some criteria of effectiveness.  Certainly they are not using Paul's list otherwise it would be just the business tax cuts.  I think it is touchy feely in a bombastic Republican sort of way (think Hannity).

I guess the key is if they need the 60 vote or 50 vote threshold (4.00 / 1)
and if the Dem leadership decide they want it so they can look all bi-partisany and get 65 votes instead of 60 votes (big victory!)
[ Parent ]
Nelson and Collins Are Children-Hating ASSHOLES (4.00 / 5)
Slashing $40 billion for EDUCATION???

And these folks are supposed to be the "fiscally responsible" sober centrists?

Since I live in California, I've been following the state aid side of the stimulus somewhat watchfully.  For example, I was just on a teleconference Tuesday with the National Conference of State Legislatures, not to write a story, but just to keep current, and see if there were any new wrinkles I should be aware of from their perspective.  Aid to the states is absolutely vital if the stimulus is going to work.  In fact, it's so vital, I think I'll stop writing this comment and switch to writing a diary instead.

This action by Nelson and Snowe is so deeply irresponsible that in any sane democracy, people would march on their offices with torches and pitchforks demanding that they resign and move to Siberia.


"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

Move to Siberia? (4.00 / 1)
Nelson's from Nebraska and Snowe is from Maine.  Is that close enough for you, Paul?

Maine needs help.  Read their papers.  They were hurting bad last summer and dreading the winter.  Snowe looks like she'd make an excellent character for Saturday Night Live to skewer.  She looks like a power mad second grade teacher or librarian, super stern and determined with a lot of nasty.

[ Parent ]
So why the hell (0.00 / 0)
did they reelect Susan Collins?

I can't help but feel, on some level, Americans did this to themselves.  

[ Parent ]
What is being slashed, exactly? (0.00 / 0)
WaPo says the bill doubles education spending:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

The TPM document indicates the education cuts are about 50%:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.c... (page 6).

There are other things in the memo I wouldn't be sorry to see go - coast guard money, internet porn patrols.

I don't know what effect the 50% cut will have, or if it's unreasonable to hold up that money and take a look at education policy in a separate bill.  Perhaps you do.

[ Parent ]
It's Always Good To Know WTF You're Talking About (0.00 / 0)
States are looking at slashing education spending all across the country--many after already having slashed it last year.  This isn't about increasing education spending.  It's about the federal government compensating for state budget shortfalls.

And since virtually all states are involved right now in budgeting for next year, the failure to fund education now would absolutely mean sharp cuts for next year.  Presidents' Day is pretty much the deadline, according to the folks at the National Conference of State Legislatures.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
Is WaPo wrong when it says (0.00 / 0)
the budget will be doubled?

Is the gap in the state budgets equal to the entirety of last years' federal budget?

If it is (and that seems extraordinary) is there anything outrageous about advancing half the money in the stimulus bill, if the other half does get through in a bill specifically for education?

As I have said, I would have liked Obama to have started much higher on the spending end, if he was going to be post-partisan about it.  But, this result is not just someone hating on the kids.  Education is always a policy fight, not only between the parties, but within the parties - hence the WaPo editorial asking for reforms as part of the budget.  It is pretty predictable that a portion of an education budget this huge would get held up for political reasons, and it doesn't mean the schools will ultimately go unfunded.

[ Parent ]
Excellent Paul. (0.00 / 0)
Meanwhile, on dkos, the diaries are declaring victory for Obama, regardless of outcome.  This clearly is more reality based.
[ Parent ]
Maybe (0.00 / 0)
just maybe, the bill as written wasn't perfect.

I hear economists saying the bill isn't enough.  That seems to be generally a response to the number.  But I also hear that there are questions of timing - how many shovel-ready projects can be funded, etc.  

I have tended to think Obama didn't do the right thing loading the bill with tax cuts at the outset.  But the alternative, of pushing on a better bill from the start, may have been even greater stalling than we have now.  I don't know how many Blue Dogs would have demanded more tax cuts.

So the bill will take a haircut.  Didn't Obama expect this when he adopted his strategy?  I sure did.  $78 billion isn't catastrophic, particularly in the money can be restored elsewhere.  I don't kid myself for a minute that every billion-dollar chunk of it is driven by good economics - after all, we know the tax cuts were driven by pure politics, so why would we assume the rest of the bill was solid?

Obama was my least favorite candidate in the primaries.  I don't have high hopes for his Presidency.  But he won on his post-partisanship pitch, and he needs to play that hand, at least for now.  He's getting nailed by the progressives, who think this approach is naive (of course, they voted for him).  He's getting nailed by the press, who want to portray Republican resistance as a loss for Obama.  

At the end of the day, he'll get his Frankenstein bill passed, in some form.  Isn't that progress we can believe in?

I would think (4.00 / 3)
that would lead to outright revolt in the House. Maybe Senators can afford to cut state spending, but Representatives will get slaughtered by their constituents if they don't send money to keep schools from being closed.

DeFazio's form response on the stimulus bill (and it's a long response) holds out the threat of voting against the final bill if it's not IMPROVED from the version the House already passed. If the Senate cuts these funds, we should ask the congressional progressive caucus to demand the funds are restored in conference.

Who's got money lying around? (4.00 / 1)
Obama doesn't seem willing to play bad cop except in private for very short periods, and being pleasant and rational isn't going to shut the shitstorm down.

Do any left-leaning PACs have money left over from the election? Because cobbling together a bunch of 60-second ads and running them in the home states of the Gang of Idiots is probably the best way to put the pressure on.

The ads should be factual and wordy, but they shouldn't imply. They should just come out and say, without bile but with a good deal of anger, that Senator X is taking away Y amount of money which does Z because he's completely ignorant of economics. Where hypocrisy can be lampooned, that's even better.

The ads would more or less write themselves, and certainly we have enough researchers to dig up all kinds of juicy info. The only snag is that I'm pretty sure nobody who has the inclination to show them can afford to pay for them.

Forgotten Countries - a foreign policy-focused blog

Easy (0.00 / 0)
Put together recent school board and school district budget meetings with the Senators' desire to cut education funding.

For even proposing to cut the stabilization money for education, these politicians' careers should be over.

[ Parent ]
$78 Billion To Be Slashed From Stimulus; Coburn Stalls Vote | 33 comments
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