NYT/AP: Partisan Dispute Derails Ethics Reform
Partisan Dispute Derails Ethics Reform
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 18, 2007
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats' hopes of starting off their control of the Senate with a far-reaching commitment to ethics reform received a painful jolt Wednesday, their ethics and lobbying legislation sidetracked by a dispute with Republicans.
Democrats failed to clear a crucial legislative hurdle when the Senate voted 51-46 to proceed with the bill that would have reduced the influence of lobbyists in shaping legislation and forced lawmakers to be more open about the pet projects they slip into legislation. Sixty-five votes were needed to advance the legislation.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., left the door open for another vote on the issue Thursday afternoon, but getting the bill back on track would require resolution of what appeared to be an intractable dispute.
Republicans voted against the motion to proceed because they were upset that Democrats were blocking an amendment, sponsored by Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., that would have given the president authority, with the approval of Congress, to single out individual spending items in legislation for elimination....
Both parties blamed the other for the temporary demise of what they hailed, when debate on the legislation started a week ago, as a model for bipartisan cooperation....
LinkHere
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 18, 2007
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats' hopes of starting off their control of the Senate with a far-reaching commitment to ethics reform received a painful jolt Wednesday, their ethics and lobbying legislation sidetracked by a dispute with Republicans.
Democrats failed to clear a crucial legislative hurdle when the Senate voted 51-46 to proceed with the bill that would have reduced the influence of lobbyists in shaping legislation and forced lawmakers to be more open about the pet projects they slip into legislation. Sixty-five votes were needed to advance the legislation.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., left the door open for another vote on the issue Thursday afternoon, but getting the bill back on track would require resolution of what appeared to be an intractable dispute.
Republicans voted against the motion to proceed because they were upset that Democrats were blocking an amendment, sponsored by Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., that would have given the president authority, with the approval of Congress, to single out individual spending items in legislation for elimination....
Both parties blamed the other for the temporary demise of what they hailed, when debate on the legislation started a week ago, as a model for bipartisan cooperation....
LinkHere
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