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Thursday, June 14, 2007
Show Me The List
I'm a little confused. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) has list of 147 Republican Congresspersons who have pledged to vote to sustain any presidential veto of FY 2008 spending bills.
House Republicans have done an impressive job of ruining their fiscal credibility with voters, and it won't be easy making amends. Today, however, they are taking one step toward redemption when Texan Jeb Hensarling announces that he's gathered signatures from 147 House GOP Members promising to sustain vetoes of any spending bill that exceeds President Bush's budget requests.
I'm really at a loss to explain why Hensarling would wave this list around and make promises about 147 Republicans, because he's going to look awfully silly when Congress overrides any spending bill veto. Either Hensarling will have to eat crow and admit he was full of it, or he will have point to a number of his Republican collegues who failed to make good on their commitments.
And based on this reporting from CongressDaily PM ($) yesterday, it seems that Hensarling is in fact "rounding upwards" the number of veto-sustainers, or the promised sustainers are already showing their, ummm, "flexibility."
OMB Director Portman had previously told reporters even the popular military housing and veterans' funding bill could be subject to a veto threat, as the White House attempts to take a hard line over the $23 billion overall spending increase...But veterans' health is an even more sensitive and emotional issue politically, and GOP aides said Bush would not have the votes to sustain a veto in either chamber.
So, is Hensarling being totally straight with us, or are certain Republican representatives already losing their resolve? There's really only one way to figure this out: Show me that list, Hensarling!
Posted by Craig Jennings
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