Get Wired -- Fritzwired, That Is
December 19, 2007 01:19 PM
Sure, you can keep up with Congressional goings-on by reading the Hill publications or watching CSPAN, but, for infotainment value, I like The Fritzwire, produced by Fritz Edelstein, a former colleague of mine at the U.S. Department of Education. Fritz has been on a roll lately while tracking the appropriations process. Here's a sampling:
Dec. 11: Most everyone is fit to be tied. Republican leadership in the House is refusing to negotiate even though numerous senior Republican members of the Appropriations Committee want to. Obey is really mad. He is asking – what are they smoking...?
Dec. 12: Will they or won’t they adjourn for the holidays on December 23? Is it possible there will only be a CR and Congress will have to come back the first week in January to complete the bills? Will we have just another CR or what? Will anyone blink...?
Democratic leadership has decided to scrap an omnibus spending package that would have covered FY08 funding for 12 of the 13 federal agencies and will move forward with efforts to approve remaining appropriations at the levels requested by the Administration. The new strategy comes as a result of an anticipated veto by President Bush on the omnibus spending legislation due to “excessive” discretionary funding levels....Dec. 13: Yesterday, the President vetoed the SCHIP legislation for a second time. The new bill changed the eligibility formula as requested by the President but held the increase for funding increase to $35 billion over five years. How compassionate is this? Will Congress go for a third try?
Later in the Day --- How should one put it – the Democrats caved or surrendered to the President’s position on the budget. They are dropping the demand to increase spending by $22 billion. The House will not include IRAQ funding but it is likely the Senate will restore it. Discretionary spending will increase about $3.7 billion. Which programs will take the biggest hits????? In essence the President refused to compromise and he may veto this bill anyway.
