 |
 |
 |
||
|
||||
|
October12, 2005
WASHINGTON DIGEST Bush gets Homeland Security funding billHOUSE APPROVES PUSH TO BOOST GASOLINE PRODUCTION; DEFENSE SPENDING ADDRESSED
By ALISON VEKSHIN and ELIZABETH PLET
The Senate passed the $31 billion bill by a voice vote, while the House approved it 347-70. The bill increases funding for border protection and cargo security, but reduces homeland security grants and changes how the grant money is doled out. The bill's critics said it cuts funding to aviation security screening, does not do enough to protect chemical plant security and reorganizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "What we have here is a bill which does not, in fact, deal with all of the threats which are posed by al Qaeda," said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass. "Right now, across our country, it is harder to get into some nightclubs in New York City than it is to get into chemical facilities across our country." The bill's supporters acknowledged that it was not perfect, but backed it because of the various programs it would fund. "As we continue to watch the recovery efforts in the Gulf States and our hearts go out with our money to those regions, it is clear that the assets we have given the department over the past three years are being put to good use," said Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky. Reps. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., and Jon Porter, R-Nev., voted for the bill. Oil refinery bill approved The House approved 212-210 a Republican bill to support the oil industry in boosting gasoline production in the wake of damaging Gulf Coast hurricanes. Proponents said it would set a certain path for companies to build more oil refineries that they said in turn would help decrease gasoline prices. Opponents called the bill a giveaway to the oil industry that would increase air pollution in the process. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, authored the bill with the aim of stemming rising gas prices and the damage hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused to oil refineries. The bill requires the president to designate federal land for new oil refinery sites. It also directs the Federal Trade Commission to investigate cases of price gouging on gas and diesel fuel sales. Among other provisions, it directs the Energy Department to create a program promoting carpools. Gibbons and Porter voted for the bill, while Berkley voted against it. Senate addresses defense spending The Senate rejected a series of amendments to a Defense Department spending bill. Senators defeated an amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., that would have stopped the development of a Department of Defense travel management system. Coburn said the government is overpaying for an inefficient program. He said taxpayers already have paid $500 million without seeing results. Sen. John Warner, R-Va., said Congress has been asking the Department of Defense to create an oversight system for travel to save money. The amendment was defeated 65-32. Sens. John Ensign, R-Nev., and Harry Reid, D-Nev., voted against the amendment. An amendment by Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., would have required Congress to use a new formula based on population growth and inflation when it allocates money for Department of Veterans Affairs health care spending. Stabenow said as more veterans are returning home from service, resources for health care are falling behind demand. Opponents said that changing the system would be too expensive. They also challenged the amount of control it would give the VA. The amendment failed 51-48. Reid voted for Stabenow's amendment, while Ensign voted against it. An amendment to allocate $3.1 billion of emergency funding for heating assistance to low income people failed, 50-49. It required 60 votes to overcome a procedural barrier. Bill author Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said hurricanes Katrina and Rita have heavily damaged the natural gas market and Americans will be paying high heating costs this winter. The money would go to households qualifying for assistance. Critics cited procedural concerns, including whether it was proper to include emergency non-defense funding in a defense bill. Reid voted for the Kerry amendment, while Ensign voted against it. |
|
