July 22nd, 2010, Washington, DC–From ALG News’ Capitol Hill Correspondent Derek Baker: 
In the Senate, the unemployment insurance extension package passed by a vote of 59-39 last night as expected, with the Maine twins voting in favor and Sen. Ben Nelson again the lone Democrat in opposition. The bill will provide up to 99 weeks of UI benefits in those states with the highest unemployment rates. Sen. Coburn’s amendment to pay for the $34 billion UI package was rejected by a vote of 54-44, since Reid insisted it reach the higher 67-vote threshold to pass. Sen. Coburn offered another amendment to enforce PAYGO that was rejected, and DeMint offered two amendments, one to repeal the Death Tax (39-59) and another to block federal funds from being used to sue Arizona over its new immigration law (43-55).
The Senate now turns to the Small Business bill, where Reid has effectively blocked Republican attempts to file amendments to the bill by “filling the tree” (essentially filing amendments of his own to take all the available ‘slots’ for amendments so there’s none left for Republicans). The first cloture vote on the Small Business bill is expected on Friday morning.
Sen. Lindsey Graham’s statement before the Senate Judiciary Committee was published as a blog post in The Hill today, basically defending his choice to vote in favor of Elena Kagan. Graham stated while there are “plenty of reasons for a conservative to vote no” on Kagan, “I think there’s a good reason for a conservative to vote yes. And that’s provided in the Constitution itself.” Graham went on to quote Hamilton in Federalist 76 in stating the Senate “should have a special and strong reason for the denial of confirmation.” Finally, Graham also suggested that because Kagan was “funny,” he felt more comfortable voting to confirm her, stating “that goes a long way in my book.”
Bottom Line: At least Sen. Graham makes it easy for us to tell the difference between a genuine conservative and a phony. Voting against a Supreme Court nominee that we have every expectation will ignore the plain wording of the Constitution and undermine the rule of law is a “special and strong reason” to deny Kagan confirmation. Let’s just hope the voters of South Carolina have a good memory when 2014 comes around.
In the House, the Senate-passed Unemployment Compensation Extension Act will come up today and easily pass, adding $34 billion to the federal deficit while giving Republicans no opportunity to amend the bill or offer pay-for options.
The Multiple Peril Insurance Act is on the floor today under a closed rule (blocking all amendments). The bill will expand the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) by requiring government-subsidized insurance coverage under NFIP for physical damage resulting from any flood or windstorm. NFIP currently owes the U.S. Treasury $19 billion, and many conservatives argue this expansion of the program will further manipulate the private market and result in a greater financial burden on the program.
H.R. 725, the $1 billion suspension bill otherwise known as the Indian Arts and Crafts Amendment, passed the House yesterday by a vote of 326-92. 78 Republicans voted in favor of it, while 92 of the most conservative House members opposed the measure.
Bottom Line: It is as if Pelosi and Hoyer are both racing to see how much damage they can inflict on the economy in the shortest amount of time. Liberals Democrats in the House and Senate bellow about how much they “feel” for their suffering unemployed constituents, so they vote to force their children and grandchildren to pay the price for the woes of today’s economy which current Democrat policies have caused. Compassion is not spending somebody else’s money to help a neighbor in need, it’s having the integrity and conviction to spend your own money and make sacrifices to do the right thing.
At the other end of the Avenue, yesterday Obama gleefully signed the Dodd-Frank Financial Reform bill into law with a backdrop of powerful Democrat members of Congress and a smattering of financial services industry officials. Obama claimed “it will finally bring transparency to the kinds of complex, risky transactions that helped trigger the financial crisis.” House Minority Leader Boehner responded to the signing ceremony by stating, “While President Obama pats himself on the back today, families and small businesses are bracing for yet another big-government overreach that will make it hard to create new jobs.”
Bottom Line: Only in Washington can a bill be signed in to law in response to one of America’s greatest financial collapses with two of the prime culprits of the collapse on hand to receive praise for their efforts. Incredibly, to add grave insult to injury for Americans, the bill was actually named after these two men: Chris Dodd and Barney Frank.
Though there are multiple reasons for the housing market collapse and subsequent financial meltdown that ensued, it is a fact that the government policies aggressive pursued and implemented by Sen. Dodd and Rep. Frank to rig the market and force lenders to meet artificial loan thresholds and quotas were a driving force behind the 2008 financial crisis as well. And yesterday, they got rewarded for their efforts with an ‘attaboy’ from the president of the United States.
P.S. – Check out America Speaking Out and share your thoughts on how we can return to a limited, constitutional government.
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