Kennedy-Brownback bill dies in Senate spending showdown
July 28th, 2008
From C-Span, CBS News, the Associated Press, the New York Times, the Washington Post, WashingtonWatch.com and elsewhere:
A bill aimed at providing accurate and comprehensive information to parents who receive a diagnosis of a disability for their child, either prenatally or after birth, died today in a massive Senate showdown over federal spending.
Senate Bill 1810 was among a package of about three dozen bills that went down in a partisan vote, as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid attempted to break a logjam created by Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma (above). Coburn, who has become known as the Senate’s “Dr. No,” had used a procedural device to block the bills, which included some $10 billion worth of bipartisan legislation.
Reid had hoped to outgun Coburn by combining the three dozen bills into one massive “Advancing America’s Priorities Act”, but the measure failed to rally the required 60 senators needed to bring it to a vote. Coburn had threatened a filibuster if the measure advanced.
What happens next was not immediately clear. The Senate is supposed to adjourn at the end of the week, but Mr. Coburn, who has blocked the programs by putting a personal “hold” on them, has said he would back most items if the lawmakers laid out ways to pay for them and did something about high gasoline prices.
S. 1810, co-sponsored by Sens. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), has been promoted by a coalition of advocacy organizations as a way of providing support for prospective parents who are increasingly undergoing prenatal screening and testing during their pregnancies. Kennedy and Brownback, from opposite sides of the political spectrum, have been seeking to pass such a bill for several years.
As more and more parents postpone childbearing until later in life, they become statistically more likely to have children with Down syndrome or other disabilities. It is estimated that up to 90 percent of pregnancies in the United States in which Down syndrome is diagnosed end in abortion.
Republicans said they blocked the omnibus bill because they have decided to block everything this week until they get votes on stalled energy legislation. Democrats accused Republicans of killing the bill so that money could instead be spent on the war in Iraq.
Among other bills that died were measures to:
– Create a registry of data to assist research on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease)
– Expand NIH research on paralysis
– Improve stroke prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation
– Spur research on postpartum depression
(Washington Post photo)
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July 29th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
This is a sad day when crucial bills like 1810 are defeated in the midst of pre-election power plays. I hope Sen Coburn reconsiders it, and tries to pass it on its own. It is in line with his pro-life principles, and NOT pork barrel spending.
July 29th, 2008 at 10:23 am
I appreciate restraint and budgets … but why don’t they cut their OWN salaries/extras instead of always making their point at someone else’s expense? (Literally.)
July 29th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Of course he is a former OB/Gyn. That group has certainly done very little to make sure women get accurate information when receiving a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. I’m sure he doesn’t see the need — I line him up with all of the medical providers who offered me a termination and NO information. I guess this way he can insure “business as usual” for his friends delivering the news.
July 28th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Pro-life?
July 28th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
It seems like the well being of our families and the families that come after us are being held hostage.