Senate Passes Budget Bill 51-49 - Budget Process - Federal Budget & Tax

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Friday, March 17, 2006

Senate Passes Budget Bill 51-49

Last night the Senate passed the budget resolution by a very close vote of 51-49. Vice President Dick Cheney was on hand in case he was needed to provide a tie-breaking vote. A series of amendments approved by a bipartisan majority added $16 billion in spending to the $2.77 trillion resolution for FY 2007 that came out of committee. The increased spending -- as well as deals made with Gulf Coast lawmakers for increased funding to their states -- helped ensure final passage. Budget caps on discretionary appropriations were raised by $3.3 billion to allow space for funding for low-income energy assistance programs. And, as we previously reported, $7 billion was added $7 billion to help fund education and health programs. This Washington Post article highlights the increased spending as being:

$3 billion more for heating subsidies for the poor. It passed 51-49.
$7 billion more for education, health and worker safety accounts. It passed 73-27.
$3.7 billion more for military personnel costs.
$1.2 billion more for aviation security and stopping Bush's proposed increase in airline ticket taxes. They advanced by voice vote.
$1 billion more for benefits for military survivors.

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) was the sole Democrat to vote in favor of the budget, after being promised $10 billion from oil revenues to help rebuild levees and other hurricane-caused devastation her state. Five Republicans broke lines with their party to vote against the deficit-raising budget. These were Sens. Ensign (R-NV), Chafee (R-RI), Coleman (R-MN), Collins (R-ME), and DeWine (R-OH).

This massive budget egregiously includes tax breaks for the wealthy to the tune of $228 billion over five years. It also opens up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling, a measure that is wildly unpopular with a number of GOP Senators. Notably the Inhofe amendment, which would have further increased discretionary cuts, was defeated 62-35. While Senate rejection of Bush spending caps in this budget is a good sign, the budget is still a fiscally irrepsonsible document that continues the trend of cutting taxes (mainly for the wealthy) while shrinking domestic programs in a time when more and more people are relying on them.