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When they’re not interrogating baseball stars about
issues totally outside their jurisdiction, or trying to intervene in the death
of Terri Schiavo, members of Congress still have plenty of time to make a mess
of America. Here are the low points of about 10 days of bad legislating in our
nation’s capital.



Alaska Oil Drilling

Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) succeeded in opening part of the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration, by a 51-49 vote.



Bankruptcy

The U.S. Senate sided with the banking and credit-card lobbies and made it harder
for millions of average Americans to file for bankruptcy as a means to erase
huge debt and get on with their lives. But, for the wealthy, the homestead exemption
that places certain assets out of reach of creditors remains largely intact.




Federal Budget

Both the House and the Senate voted for a $2.6 trillion budget plan, which narrowly
passed in the Senate (51-49) and in the House (218-214). The House and Senate
versions are slightly different, but both grant still more tax cuts to the rich
and reduce health care for the poor.



Iraq Spending

With the second anniversary of the Iraq War upon it, the House voted 388-43
in favor of an emergency spending bill for the war and reconstruction package
in Iraq and Afghanistan without even a token visit by Donald Rumsfeld to obfuscate
about an exit strategy.



Prescription Drugs

An amendment pushing senators to approve legislation allowing the nation’s health
secretary to negotiate prices of prescription drugs for Medicare failed in the
Senate, on a 50-49 vote.



Amtrak

Congress failed to derail White House plans to destroy the national railroad.
By a 52-46 vote, the Senate rejected a bill by Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia)
to infuse the system with $1.04 billion.



Farm Program Slashed

In a blow to America’s farmers, the Senate voted 54-46 to direct the Agriculture
Committee to cut $2.8 billion from farm programs over the next five years.



Family Services

The Senate rejected Clinton/Reid Prevention First, a $100 million proposal for
family-planning services, sex education and contraception programs, by a vote
of 53-47. It was Hillary Clinton’s gesture to make nice with abortion-rights
foes like Harry Reid, the Democrat from Nevada.



Medicaid Cuts

In a rare flash of leadership during this dark period, the Senate voted 52-48
to hold off reduction in Medicaid spending for fiscal year 2006. It also called
for a bipartisan commission to study how to fix the health care program for
the poor.

-Christine Pelisek

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