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| Home Front: Politix |
| Stevens is Smoked Out |
| 2006-08-31 |
| After much speculation, a staffer to Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, admitted to Cox Newspapers today that the senator is the lawmaker who placed a “secret hold” on legislation that would open up the obscure world of government contracting to public scrutiny. Until now, it was a political whodunnit as to who quietly blocked legislation introduced by Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., that would create a searchable database of government contracts, grants, insurance, loans and financial assistance, worth $2.5 trillion last year. While speculation centered on Stevens, there was no confirmation. Under Senate rules, the hold remains cloaked in secrecy unless the senator who places it lifts it. Aaron Saunders, spokesperson for Stevens, said Coburn was informed two weeks ago that his boss had concerns about the bill. Namely, Stevens is concerned that the bill would create more bureaucracy. He wants to see a cost-benefit analysis. Saunders said there was nothing secret about what Stevens did. “Senator Stevens has always preferred to handle this at the staff level or member to member,” Saunders said. “He doesn’t like running to the blogosphere or the media.” “Our reticence in getting out there is that Stevens doesn’t want to be in the media attacking Coburn,” Saunders said. “He has never addressed legislative concerns in the media. It is just not the way the senator has ever operated.” Placing a hold is a normal part of doing business on Capitol Hill, Saunders said. He noted that Coburn has used the same parliamentary maneuver to block bills coming out of the Commerce Committee. “Senator Stevens is not trying to show Senator Coburn or any other senator up publicly. Going to the blogs and the media with these concerns is not the way we have ever operated.” The measure had been unanimously passed in a voice vote last month by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which Stevens is a member of. Stevens did not attend the meeting where the bill was approved, according to a vote tally obtained by Cox Newspapers. The bill has support from heavy hitters like Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. It was on the fast track for floor action before Congress recessed on Aug. 4 when Stevens put a hold on the measure. |
| Posted by:mcsegeek1 |
| #3 Payback for the Alaska oil exploration bill? |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2006-08-31 21:30 |
| #2 BZZZZT! He had Donk help from that ol' Grand Kleagle hissownbadself Rob't "Name everything in W VA after me" Byrd West Virginia Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd admits that he placed a "secret hold" on legislation that would make uncovering the Byzantine world of federal contracting as easy as typing a Google search. Tom Gavin, spokesperson for Byrd, confirmed to Cox Newspapers that the senator placed the hold on legislation introduced by Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., before voting on the measure. Byrd joins Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, for holding up the bill right before Congress left town on August 4. Byrd merely wanted more time to evaluate the legislation that would create a new database of some $2.5 trillion in federal spending on contracts, loans, financial assistance and insurance. "Senator Byrd wanted time to read the legislation, understand its implications, and see whether the proposal could be improved," Gavin said. Byrd has released his hold, now that there "has been time to better understand the legislation," Gavin said. "Senator Byrd believes that the bill should be debated and opened for amendment, and not pushed through without discussion," Gavin said. "There was an effort to pass a bill on an important subject without debate just before the Senate recess," Gavin said. Senators have an obligation to their constituents to know what they are voting on before signing off on any proposal, he said. "On August 2, the last day before a month-long Senate recess, a Senate committee gave its approval to a brand new piece of legislation, cosponsored by Senator Obama and Senator Coburn," Gavin said. "That same day, there was an effort to rush the legislation through the Senate without any Senator having the chance to ask questions," he said. as Ace sez: "uh huh" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-08-31 20:43 |
| #1 Stevens, bridge to not reelected |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-08-31 19:05 |