AN AGREEMENT REACHED (NRSC Email UPDATE NEWS)

NRSC ^ | 16 January 2003 | National Republican Senatorial Committee

[PhiKapMom]

NATIONAL REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL COMMITTEE -- AN AGREEMENT IS REACHED

From Senator George Allen, Chairman

Good Day,

Last night Republicans and Democrats in the Senate reached an agreement on levels of spending for committee budgets. This and more in today's NRSC Daily News...

Have a great day,

Court

-------------------

Today's Top Stories

Senate Revolves fight over Committee Funding

Source: Washington Post
By: Helen Dewar
January 16, 2003
Article has been excerpted.

Senate leaders last night reached a deal to organize the chamber's committees more than a week after the 108th Congress convened, allowing Republicans to finally wield the gavels.

"After negotiating in good faith we are bringing this to a conclusion," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Tennessee Republican. He said the final agreement was fair to both parties and would "allow us to proceed with the nation's business."

Normally, such resolutions are passed soon after a new Congress convenes. But Democrats demanded a nearly equal split in committee funding before they would agree to a resolution appointing panel chairmen and members.

Without such a resolution, the panels remained as they were in the 107th Congress, with Democrats in charge and new senators with no committee assignments. Republicans this week had angrily accused Democrats of launching a "coup" to negate November's election results by blocking organization of the Senate, which would put Republicans in control of committees.

"They have reached new levels of obstruction," said Sen. Rick Santorum, Pennsylvania Republican and chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. "They've been blocking something that has never been blocked in the history of the Senate, and that is appointing people to their committees."

Some Republicans said their criticism of Democrats was effective.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas Republican and vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, said earlier yesterday that "ratcheting up the heat is what caused the agreement to get done."

She said "when people saw Republicans were being kept from their ability to run the Senate, the pressure was great" on the Democrats.

Mr. Frist said that under the agreement, general funding for committees' administrative costs, travel and most other purposes will be split 60 percent for Republicans and 40 percent for Democrats. However, Democrats will get 49 percent of the money designated for staff salaries, as they had asked. This means they will not have to lay off staff members.

Mr. Frist said "both sides moved to a center ground," though Democrats would have preferred to get 49 percent of the funding for all expenses. He also said office space will be "commensurate" with the general 60-40 committee funding guideline.

Mr. Frist said that the agreement on funding, space and other issues is not included in either committee resolution, but was submitted into the Senate record in the form of a joint leadership letter. By doing it this way, he said, it does not set a precedent for future committee arrangements.

Republican John E. Sununu, New Hampshire's new senator, called the agreement "terrific" because it "allows me to be a member of the Commerce Committee," instead of just "attending hearings out of the politeness of the chairman."

...

http://www.nrsc.org/nrscweb/newsdesk/articles/78.shtml

Bush weighs in on University of Michigan Supreme Court Case

Source: Washington Times
By: Stephen Dinan and Joseph Curl
January 16, 2003
Article has been excerpted.

The Bush administration will submit to the Supreme Court today a legal brief against the University of Michigan's affirmative-action policy, which the president called "fundamentally flawed" and unconstitutional.

In an announcement yesterday in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, Mr. Bush said the Michigan admission policy amounts "to a quota system that unfairly rewards or penalizes prospective students, based solely on their race."

http://www.nrsc.org/nrscweb/newsdesk/articles/79.shtml

GOP Senators propose Widespread Spending Cuts

Source: New York Times
By: Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Carl Hulse
January 16, 2003
Article has been excerpted.

Senate Republicans, trying to untangle a financial mess from 2002, tonight unveiled a $386 billion measure that would cut proposed spending for most federal agencies by 1.6 percent and eliminate $9.8 billion approved by senators last year for domestic security, education and other programs.

http://www.nrsc.org/nrscweb/newsdesk/articles/80.shtml

Isakson announces bid for Miller's Senate seat

Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution
By:Jim Tharpe
January 16, 2003
Article has been excerpted.

A U.S. Senate race destined to become a political marathon got off to a quick one-man start at the Georgia Capitol on Wednesday.

U.S. Rep. Johnny Isakson came back to the statehouse where he began his political career 27 years ago to announce his candidacy for the Senate seat being vacated by maverick Democrat Zell Miller.

http://www.nrsc.org/nrscweb/newsdesk/articles/81.shtml

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[PhiKapMom]

Posted for your information and the facts on the agreement!

[PhiKapMom]

FYI!

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[EternalVigilance]

Democrats will get 49 percent of the money designated for staff salaries, as they had asked. This means they will not have to lay off staff members.

*sigh*

[Robe]

RAT 1, Pubies 0

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the good news!

The pressure on the Rat Senators must have become very hot and heavy.

They can no longer get by with this anarchy. They don't control the news anymore.

[EternalVigilance]

Thanks for the post. Very informative as usual.

I still want to know more about the make-up and power structure of Committees, though...especially the Judiciary Committee.

Funding is important (I grind my teeth thinking of them being allowed to keep their trouble-making staffers) but secondary.

What is more important is how much or how little Daschle's craven little band will be able to continue their obstructionist ways, expecially in blocking conservative judges.

[David Isaac]

Whomever coined the question, "What do I get if I win?", must have been a Republican.

[KC_Conspirator]

So Bill Frist is caving already. There are infact 52 senators elected as Republicans in the senate, and a couple of democrats who have stolen seats. I am expecting the same fecklessness out of Frist that we got from Lott.

[deport]

Going forward, does this mean that no judges, no tax cut, etc. will ever be approved in this session of congresss?

---

Why would this impact the approval of judges and/or other legislation? What is your thinking on this? Didn't they approve judges and tax cuts in the 107th with the democrats in control?

PKM thanks for the more accurate details of what's been agreed to.

[EternalVigilance]

Will the Republicans ever learn the ropes and start playing hardball?

You'd think they would after watching Dem viciousness and duplicitousness so up close and personal.

[TLBSHOW]

Republicans cave again and we didn't hold their feet to the fire! As normal rats snookered us again!

[TLBSHOW]

So Bill Frist is caving already.

of course he did! darn sad if they didn't get next week off!

[taildragger]

You are right Sir, they are caving in.

The even worse news is they get to keep there staffers. Do ya think these folks are going to be following up on S.S. checks for the little old ladies in there districts, or they are they going to be causing mischief via tactics and press releases against the Bush Agenda. I believe the correct answer is the ladder.

The "Stupid Party" (Thank you David Brudnois for that term) strikes again....

[PhiKapMom]

What people don't seem to understand is that the RATs demanded 50/50 on everything including space. They were not going to budge at all. With the upcoming war looming, the DoD needs a supplemental security bill approved and the RATs knew it so they dug in their heels. They were willing to shut down the Senate for as long as necessary to get their 50/50 and power to veto judicial nominations if the person was from their state.

With all the pressure on the Senate RATs they had to start agreeing to compromise. I don't like the 49% for staff salaries but with only a small majority and threat of a filibuster, I think we probably got as much as we were going to and note that this was not passed as a resolution but an agreement.

Don't know about anyone else, but I certainly did not want the RATs controlling any hearings this session. IMO the biggest news is that pressure was put on the RATs to quit obstructing and make an agreement.

[Steven W.]

try "latter" ...

[Utah Girl]

Great comments. I think the dems (obstructionists) received a tiny victory in the 51-49 split in regards to staff. But they other demands and threats in regards to the judicial nominations, etc and didn't get any of what they wanted. I'm not happy with the staff issue, I think the dems will create even more mischief, but to be honest, this is fairer with a 51-49 split in the Senate. Of course, when the dems get back in power, and it is a 51-49 split, they'll go back to the 2/3 - 1/3 funding. Hopefully the voters will remember what happened in 2002, and vote accordingly, and the Republicans will build on their margin in 2004.

[LurkerNoMore!]

Thanks for the post!

[blackie]

Be Well - Be Armed - Be Safe - Molon Labe!