Posted on 02/08/2006 5:07:39 PM PST by new yorker 77
A typographical error in a $39 billion domestic spending-cut bill signed into law by President Bush on Wednesday could mean another vote on the measure that passed only after Vice President Dick Cheney intervened with a tie-breaking vote.
The law, which sparked fury among Democrats and strong opposition from some Republicans in an election year, cuts funds for health care, student loan and other programs.
It passed the Senate only after Cheney cast his tie-breaking vote. The House passed it by a 216-214 margin.
A Senate aide said that a clerical error written into the bill as it bounced between the House and Senate resulted in the two chambers passing slightly different versions.
Legislation becomes law only when the president signs a measure that has been passed in identical form by the House and Senate. Aides in both the House and Senate said it was not yet clear how lawmakers would fix the problem.
In this case, according to the Senate aide, a "poor woman in the basement" clerk's office typed in "36 months," instead of "13 months" related to Medicare payments for oxygen tanks.
The Senate aide said the bill, as signed by Bush, contained the 13-month provision intended by both chambers. The legislation would save $39 billion over five years beginning this year.
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Please spread the news of this stupidity.
More evidence, as if any were needed, on the bungling nature of a beauracracy.
It truly boggles the mind.
Probably the only "mistake" was that someone noticed.
Congress actually has people TYPING two copies of the same bill? Wouldn't you just change Senate Resolution #XXX to House Resolution #XXX and leave the body of the bill the same in both?
My guess is that getting rid of the excessive and often redundant bureaucracy in the federal government would probably save $39 billion a month. The size and scope of the federal government is clearly laid out in the Constitution, future amendments HAVE NOT mandated an increase in the size of government. Let the individual states take care of everything else the way they see fit.
Stupid is as stupid does.
And I thought I could not get any more disgusted with the utter inability of Congress to actually get ANYTHING meaningful done. And these idiots want the President to come hat in hand to them on every single National Defense issues? Hey Congress, before demanding any more power, learn to do the job YOU NOW HAVE.
Ouch.
BS. The files are passed from house to senate electronically as files. Someone purposely put this poison pill in the bill deliberatly, then conveniently 'discovered' it.
Obviously not being paid a living wage. (and why do they assume it was a "poor" women in the basement?)
So does this mean that leftists are going to start bribing clerks to bills to prevent them from being passed into law...
So does this mean that leftists are going to start bribing clerks to add typos to bills to prevent them from being passed into law...
Good grief .. you want efficiency .. Sheeeeeesh! You people are so demanding! LOL!!
I think there's a WALL between the dems and repubs computers after the dems got caught writing nasty memos about using their offices for the purpose of bringing down George Bush - using intelligence info.
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