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Tuesday, May 06, 2008
DAILY FISCAL POLICY REPORT -- May 6, 2008
War Supplemental -- Appropriators Seek Mark-Ups: On both the House and Senate side, senior Appropriations Committee members have asked, or demanded, that mark-ups be held of the president's "emergency" supplemental war funding requests, as is the usual practice. Rep. Jerry Lewis (CA), the ranking House Appropriations Republican: "Never in my 30 years in Congress has there been such an abuse of the processes and rules of the House. We... demand that this polluted, back-door scheme be brought to a halt, and that we return to a proper, fair and transparent appropriations process." Story. Senate Appropriations Committee chair Robert Byrd (D-WV) announced last week that he planned to hold a markup of the supplemental this week. But none has been scheduled yet. Background on Supplemental Procedure.
Taxes -- Gas Tax Holiday a Non-Starter in Congress: It's being discussed today in Indianapolis, Hickory, West Lafayette, Raleigh, and Gary, but not in D.C. Per CQ, when Senate Democrats unveil an energy package later this week, it is not expected to contain a gas tax holiday, said a Senate Democratic aide. "It's a nothing burger. It's not even part of the discussions," the aide said. Many economists, including at least four Nobel Prize winners, have called it bad economic policy.
GSA's Doan -- 'I Lost the Battle': She fought the law and didn't win. In an interview within a week of her departure from her post as General Services Adinistration chief, Lurita Doan recounts her struggles with the bureaucracy, the media, Congress, and the law. After being fired by the White House last week following a 22-month scandal-plagued tenure at GSA, she concludes: "I am proud that I don't play by the rules of Washington." Interview.
Posted by Dana Chasin
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