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Senior Citizen Politics
Republicans Block 20 Million Senior Citizens from
Economic Stimulus Plan
Senate bill needed just one more vote; Sen. McCain
dodges vote that could have mattered
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McCain Misses Vote on Economic Stimulus
 WASHINGTON
(AP) Republican presidential candidate John McCain skipped a
difficult Senate vote Wednesday on whether to make 20 million
seniors and 250,000 disabled veterans eligible for rebate checks
as part of a proposed economic stimulus package.
The Arizona senator's decision to miss the vote appeared to come
at the last minute, after his plane had landed at Dulles
International Airport outside Washington just before the
proceedings opened on the Senate floor.
Read more at Google/Associated Press |
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Feb. 7, 2008 The Republicans by one vote
blocked the passage of the economic stimulus package in the Senate and
excluded over 20 million senior citizens and disabled veterans from
receiving government checks that will be sent to more affluent Americans
in an effort to boost the stalled U.S. economy.
Forty-one United States Senators today voted to
deny $500 economic stimulus checks to 20 million American seniors living
on Social Security and to 250,000 disabled American veterans, said a
news release issued by Senate Finance Committee. Senators Chairman Max
Baucus (D-Mont.), whose committee passed the measure with Republican
help.
The legislation would have included millions more
low-income Americans in the tax rebate plan to spur consumer spending
than are included in the House passed version.
The close vote against the Baucus measure blocked
the help for low-income Americans and struggling businesses all left
out of a House-passed stimulus bill and left open the possibility of
tax rebates for illegal immigrants as extra safeguards in the Finance
package fell away, said the news release from Baucus committee office.
Its hard to believe that so many Senators could
turn a deaf ear to these good Americans, said Baucus.
Why on earth would we not move money into the
hands of Americans who need it and who would inject it straight into our
sick economy? There was a chance on the table to help low-income seniors
and disabled veterans and Americans looking for work, and the Senate
frankly blew it tonight.
The Finance Committee last week approved a Baucus
proposal to boost the economy with $500 rebates for every American
reporting $3000 in wages, Social Security income, or net self-employment
income on a 2007 tax return, with more for married couples and families
with children. Disabled veterans who would not otherwise qualify could
receive rebates, too. The Baucus legislation also extended Federal
unemployment insurance benefits for 13 weeks in all states through
December 2008, and provided an additional 13 weeks of benefits in states
meeting certain criteria for high unemployment.
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More
Reports |
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Senate Republicans Block Plan to Expand U.S.
Economic Stimulus
Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Senate blocked a
$156 billion economic stimulus measure that would extend unemployment
benefits and give tax rebates to more people than envisioned in a
House-passed measure supported by President George W. Bush.
Read more at Bloombert
Senate Democrats fail to expand stimulus bill
Majority Leader Harry Reid switched his vote today to 'no'
at the last moment.
By Noam N. Levey, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON -- Unwilling to compromise with
Republicans on a two-year, $204-billion economic stimulus package,
Senate Democrats failed Wednesday night to include aid to millions of
senior citizens, disabled veterans and out-of-work Americans.
Read more at Lost Angeles Times
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Additional business tax relief allowed companies
losing money in the economic downturn to access quick cash for payroll
and expenses. Safeguards in the bill required tax filers to report valid
Social Security numbers which cannot be held by persons in the country
illegally to be eligible for any rebate, including the $300 per child
check.
The vote against that package, to which Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid had added help for low-income families to pay
heating bills and for the sagging housing sector, leaves Congress
considering a House-passed economic plan with lower rebates for many
Americans, no help for seniors living on Social Security or for many
disabled veterans, no extended unemployment insurance, no tax relief for
businesses reporting financial losses, no heating assistance, and no
safeguards to keep the rebate from going to persons in the country
illegally.
See details on vote below,
including list of how Senators voted.
U.S. Senate Roll Call
Votes 110th Congress - 2nd Session
as compiled through Senate
LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the
Senate
Vote Summary
|
Question:
On
the Cloture Motion (Motion To Invoke Cloture On The Reid
Amdt No. 3983 ) |
|
Vote Number:
|
8 |
Vote Date:
|
February 6,
2008, 05:46 PM |
|
Required For
Majority: |
3/5 |
Vote Result:
|
Cloture Motion
Rejected |
|
Amendment
Number: |
S.Amdt. 3983 to
H.R. 5140 (Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for
the American People Act of 2008) |
|
Statement of
Purpose: |
Of a perfecting
nature. |
|
Vote Counts: |
YEAs |
58 |
| |
NAYs |
41 |
| |
Not Voting |
1 |
Grouped by Home State
|
Alabama: |
Sessions
(R-AL), Nay |
Shelby (R-AL),
Nay |
|
Alaska: |
Murkowski
(R-AK), Nay |
Stevens (R-AK),
Nay |
|
Arizona: |
Kyl (R-AZ),
Nay |
McCain (R-AZ),
Not Voting |
|
Arkansas: |
Lincoln (D-AR),
Yea |
Pryor (D-AR),
Yea |
|
California: |
Boxer (D-CA),
Yea |
Feinstein
(D-CA), Yea |
|
Colorado: |
Allard (R-CO),
Nay |
Salazar (D-CO),
Yea |
|
Connecticut: |
Dodd (D-CT),
Yea |
Lieberman
(ID-CT), Yea |
|
Delaware: |
Biden (D-DE),
Yea |
Carper (D-DE),
Yea |
|
Florida: |
Martinez
(R-FL), Nay |
Nelson (D-FL),
Yea |
|
Georgia: |
Chambliss
(R-GA), Nay |
Isakson (R-GA),
Nay |
|
Hawaii: |
Akaka (D-HI),
Yea |
Inouye (D-HI),
Yea |
|
Idaho: |
Craig (R-ID),
Nay |
Crapo (R-ID),
Nay |
|
Illinois: |
Durbin (D-IL),
Yea |
Obama (D-IL),
Yea |
|
Indiana: |
Bayh (D-IN),
Yea |
Lugar (R-IN),
Nay |
|
Iowa: |
Grassley
(R-IA), Yea |
Harkin (D-IA),
Yea |
|
Kansas: |
Brownback
(R-KS), Nay |
Roberts (R-KS),
Nay |
|
Kentucky: |
Bunning (R-KY),
Nay |
McConnell
(R-KY), Nay |
|
Louisiana: |
Landrieu
(D-LA), Yea |
Vitter (R-LA),
Nay |
|
Maine: |
Collins (R-ME),
Yea |
Snowe (R-ME),
Yea |
|
Maryland: |
Cardin (D-MD),
Yea |
Mikulski
(D-MD), Yea |
|
Massachusetts: |
Kennedy (D-MA),
Yea |
Kerry (D-MA),
Yea |
|
Michigan: |
Levin (D-MI),
Yea |
Stabenow
(D-MI), Yea |
|
Minnesota: |
Coleman (R-MN),
Yea |
Klobuchar
(D-MN), Yea |
|
Mississippi: |
Cochran (R-MS),
Nay |
Wicker (R-MS),
Nay |
|
Missouri: |
Bond (R-MO),
Nay |
McCaskill
(D-MO), Yea |
|
Montana: |
Baucus (D-MT),
Yea |
Tester (D-MT),
Yea |
|
Nebraska: |
Hagel (R-NE),
Nay |
Nelson (D-NE),
Yea |
|
Nevada: |
Ensign (R-NV),
Nay |
Reid (D-NV),
Nay |
|
New
Hampshire: |
Gregg (R-NH),
Nay |
Sununu (R-NH),
Nay |
|
New Jersey: |
Lautenberg
(D-NJ), Yea |
Menendez
(D-NJ), Yea |
|
New Mexico: |
Bingaman
(D-NM), Yea |
Domenici
(R-NM), Yea |
|
New York: |
Clinton (D-NY),
Yea |
Schumer (D-NY),
Yea |
|
North
Carolina: |
Burr (R-NC),
Nay |
Dole (R-NC),
Yea |
|
North
Dakota: |
Conrad (D-ND),
Yea |
Dorgan (D-ND),
Yea |
|
Ohio: |
Brown (D-OH),
Yea |
Voinovich
(R-OH), Nay |
|
Oklahoma: |
Coburn (R-OK),
Nay |
Inhofe (R-OK),
Nay |
|
Oregon: |
Smith (R-OR),
Yea |
Wyden (D-OR),
Yea |
|
Pennsylvania: |
Casey (D-PA),
Yea |
Specter (R-PA),
Yea |
|
Rhode
Island: |
Reed (D-RI),
Yea |
Whitehouse
(D-RI), Yea |
|
South
Carolina: |
DeMint (R-SC),
Nay |
Graham (R-SC),
Nay |
|
South
Dakota: |
Johnson (D-SD),
Yea |
Thune (R-SD),
Nay |
|
Tennessee: |
Alexander
(R-TN), Nay |
Corker (R-TN),
Nay |
|
Texas: |
Cornyn (R-TX),
Nay |
Hutchison
(R-TX), Nay |
|
Utah: |
Bennett (R-UT),
Nay |
Hatch (R-UT),
Nay |
|
Vermont: |
Leahy (D-VT),
Yea |
Sanders (I-VT),
Yea |
|
Virginia: |
Warner (R-VA),
Nay |
Webb (D-VA),
Yea |
|
Washington: |
Cantwell
(D-WA), Yea |
Murray (D-WA),
Yea |
|
West
Virginia: |
Byrd (D-WV),
Yea |
Rockefeller
(D-WV), Yea |
|
Wisconsin: |
Feingold
(D-WI), Yea |
Kohl (D-WI),
Yea |
|
Wyoming: |
Barrasso
(R-WY), Nay |
Enzi (R-WY),
Nay |
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