Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has been working the phones, according to a report in Roll Call magazine, to gather support for passage of the Iraq Supplemental Bill which includes the Webb-Hagel New G.I. Bill.
Senate Republicans are doing their very best to insure that there is no up or down vote on the New G.I. Bill, and as one GOP aide put it, “There is not going to be a vote on the GI bill. There’ll be a vote on a package that includes the GI bill.” [Roll Call, sub req] The point? No Mud on Us. “Republicans agree, saying the Senate (Appropriations) committee’s decision to increase the supplemental’s price tag will make it harder for Democrats to tar Republicans as having voted against a new GI bill in the measure.” [Roll Call sub req]
One portion of the Webb-Hagel Bill (S.22) that may be lost in the process is the transferability of education benefits to family members now that Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) has announced his opposition to that provision. [AFN] Meanwhile VoteVets.org is keeping the pressure on Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and John Cornyn (R-TX) to support the bill. [HuffPo] The GOP may also be attempting to utilize a temporary numerical advantage in the Senate as it’s not expected that Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) will be returning to the Senate in time for the supplemental vote. “The Senator is doing well and is anxious to get back to work. But doctors are still evaluating him and we expect the Senator to remain in the hospital for a couple of days while they finish their work.” [Roll Call sub req]
Senator John Ensign (R-NV) has still not signed on as a co-sponsor of S.22, the Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007. [GovTrack]
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1 comments:
Boss Reid sounds so overworked. Maybe he should throw himself a party to liven up D.C. (or promote his self interests).
Several things to note here. First is the chummy interaction with Sen. Schumer. Second, and more telling, is the opinions of Boss Reid in the Comments from people outside of Nevada.
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