Patterico's Pontifications

10/2/2013

House Passes Bills to Fund NIH, National Parks, and Washington D.C.

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 7:08 pm



I knew they had planned to but had trouble finding reportage on whether they did. Well, they did, so spread the word:

The House approved three targeted spending resolutions to the Senate on Wednesday, daring Senate Democrats to vote against measures to immediately fund the District of Columbia, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Park Service.

The bills are part of the House Republican plan to pass spending bills in areas where there is bipartisan agreement in order to spare some pieces of the government from the shutdown.

It appears that it is more important to Democrats to maintain the bad headlines than it is to Get Things Done.

But while Democrats support these priorities, they mostly opposed attempts to pass them in the House. Democrats said Republicans were using the bills as part of a political strategy to mitigate the effects of the shutdown when they should instead pass a Senate spending resolution that funds the entire government.

“The majority is making itself clear,” said Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.). “Any time they see a bad headline, they’re going to bring a bill to the floor to make it go away.”

Yup. Another way to put it is, if we see a program that is popular and deserves funding, we will vote for it.

God, I love this tactic.

Why does Louise Slaughter hate national parks and cancer patients?

Look at how they’ll lie to combat this strategy:

Most Democrats opposed this bill as well, and said it amounts to playing needy groups off each other.

“Every day the Republican leadership tries to find a new way to pit one desperate group of Americans against another,” said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.). “Today Republicans are pitting kids with cancer against kids who are hungry because of the shutdown.”

But the House passed the NIH bill nonetheless, in a 254-171 vote that saw 25 Democrats join with all Republicans except one.

Kids are hungry because non-essential government employees are on vacation (and will no doubt be paid in full for their days of nonwork)?

Hungry???

Please.

Tell us how kids are hungry because of the slowdown, and we’ll pass a bill to end that too! And you’ll vote against it, George Miller. Won’t you?

Yes, you will.

So you may pound sand.

28 Responses to “House Passes Bills to Fund NIH, National Parks, and Washington D.C.”

  1. I started to say something else instead of pound sand.

    But then I didn’t.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  2. If the children are hungry have the first female yeti feed them from her garden.

    mg (31009b)

  3. Why do we pay people who aren’t working?

    It’s not the congress’s money to generously donate to people. It’s the American people’s money. It’s bad enough we pay for 800,000 non essential employees any day, but it’s just plain theft to pay them when they have the day off.

    I know this is politically unrealistic, but it seems like such a good time to take a hard look at why we’re funding so much government instead of leaving this vast wealth in the economy, where it can grow.

    Dustin (bb65aa)

  4. In the past, weren’t budgets passed as a series of 12 or 13 appropriation bills?

    JD (5c1832)

  5. Young (R-AK) voted no. 25 Dems voted aye.

    Kevin M (bf8ad7)

  6. Michey can tell the “hungry” kids it’s just her newest diet. Cuz she cares!

    Patricia (be0117)

  7. Dustin,
    You do realize the non-essential classification was to identify the people who could go home for the slow/slim/shut down while the remaining ones kept essential operations going don’t you?
    But the term seems to be one you are attached to and “want” it to mean they were never needed in the first place.

    Run for office – ally with Cruz and fire them all. Otherwise just accept that the elected reps are doing the jobs their constituents want them to and previously established requirements for all of these jobs.

    On the subject of hunger – the commissaries are closed. For low ranking military this is an indirect hit in that they have to go to off base stores and higher prices to obtain food. At least the food stamps are still being offered during the shutdown and they can apply for those.
    Perhaps a singular bill requiring DECA to open back up is in order….

    Democracy – it is a beautiful thing.

    I think I’ll go buy one of those Keurigs tomorrow since I know I’ll get back pay…/sarc

    vor2 (a544a0)

  8. The House GOP has at last alighted upon the correct strategy; it’s a shame they couldn’t have had it in place earlier and avoided losing those procedural votes yesterday. I guess with this crew the best we can hope for is that they eventually get it right.

    JVW (93c84b)

  9. @4. Yes, sort of. The budget would be approved to set how much moola the various parts of government got. Then specific funding bills were passed to provide the actual money. Or something like that; its been so long since there was a federal budget I may have forgotten some of the process.

    In the olden days most of the caterwauling, rending of garments and associated foolishness was with the budget and the spending bills generally follow in a more civilized manner. Not so much these days.

    gramps, the original (0a7e2a)

  10. Our soldiers have to pay for their meals out of their own pockets? Since when?

    Seriously now. vor2, you must know the origin of the word supernumerary.

    nk (dbc370)

  11. Comment by gramps, the original (0a7e2a) — 10/2/2013 @ 8:55 pm

    To follow-up on gramps’ comment, once upon a time there was no official federal budget, each department just passed bills spending whatever the hell they wanted to spend, without regard to any big picture. It was during the administration of Warren G. Harding that the idea of a unified budget passed by Congress and subject to Presidential approval became a reality.

    Can you imagine what it would be like today if each department could just spend whatever it wanted to? Why, we might find ourselves running trillion dollar deficits for several consecutive years (ok, just joking there; no sane government would do something so stupid).

    JVW (93c84b)

  12. Simply ignore it he will, narciso!

    Yoda (ee1de0)

  13. nonessential

    this is a concept these government employee losers need to internalize I think

    then they can go on Dr. Phil and talk about how they struggle with feelings of worthlessness

    after that they can go lie down in a bmw somewheres sunny

    happyfeet (c60db2)

  14. On the subject of hunger – the commissaries are closed. For low ranking military this is an indirect hit in that they have to go to off base stores and higher prices to obtain food.

    commissaries stopped being a deal decades ago, when enough big buck donors leaned on Congress to “level the playing field”, and gutted the discounts to be had there.

    now, unless you are stationed on some hellhole like Planet Irwin, where a real word grocery trip takes a couple hours just to get there and back, they are a sign of other days, and not the marvelous benefit “vor2” would have you believe.

    redc1c4 (abd49e)

  15. What I resent most, redc1c4, is lumping civilian employees in as “military”.

    nk (dbc370)

  16. And on that subject, Obama has to live on his salary and it is unconstitutional for him to even get a meal or housing allowance:

    The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.

    I would include, within Emolument, a night out with Michelle on Broadway, her $3m trip to Ireland, and his kids’ $25m spring break in Mexico, by way of illustration and not limitation.

    nk (dbc370)

  17. And another illustration of the United States being plural for those who care about these things.

    nk (dbc370)

  18. Vets should invite President Obama to meet them at the WW-2 memorial and lead them in the Pledge of Allegiance.

    ropelight (8186e9)

  19. 19. Vets should invite President Obama to meet them at the WW-2 memorial and lead them in the Pledge of Allegiance.

    Comment by ropelight (8186e9) — 10/3/2013 @ 4:12 am

    Vets should invite President Obama to meet them on an outpost in Afghanistan near the Pakistan border.

    Steve57 (234b9e)

  20. Dem Miller also accused Republicans of taking away health insurance of th e poor. The correct response to Miller is: “Thousands of in middle America have had their insurance stolen as a result of ACA. You are a thief.” Label him.

    jb (2b98be)

  21. Obama closed the WW II cemetery in Normandy, France. Can you imagine the people who spent a lot of money to visit and it is closed.

    Obama is punishing the American people. What will he do when he gets his hands on our health care.

    AZ Bob (c99389)

  22. I figure the next step in Obama’s plan is to throw up roadblocks to stop you from using the interstate highways.

    Because, government shutdown? How can the federal highways work if the gub’mint is shut down.

    Because of course the roads just won’t run themselves.

    Steve57 (234b9e)

  23. Does Obama really plan to keep doing a bunch of crap that no President ever did before, and then pretend the GOP is making him do it?

    Steve57 (234b9e)

  24. Checks this video out.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ4qmgl22DQ&feature=youtu.be

    It is like they are out of touch with reality.

    Michael Ejercito (b371e1)

  25. One of the biggest benefits I got from moving away from the East Bay was not having to listen to George Miller’s pathetic tirades on all the SF area radio and TV stations. He is a despicable man.

    in_awe (7c859a)

  26. Obama is punishing the American people. What will he do when he gets his hands on our health care.

    Comment by AZ Bob (c99389) — 10/3/2013 @ 6:57 am

    Beware of rogue agents in a remote Obamacare office making decisions on what care is available to you. But have no worry – they will be completely impartial even after they finish reviewing your social media and blog postings. Guaranteed.

    in_awe (7c859a)


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