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A blunder by Byrd?
TownHall.com ^ | Wednesday, December 5, 2001 | by Robert Novak

Posted on 12/04/2001 8:33:33 PM PST by JohnHuang2

TownHall.com: Conservative Columnists: Robert Novak
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townhall.com

Robert Novak (back to story)

December 5, 2001

A blunder by Byrd?

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Robert C. Byrd, at age 84, remains the master of parliamentary chicanery in enacting pork barrel legislation. He has demonstrated this in leveraging the war against terrorism to approve billions of dollars worth of pet senatorial projects. This time, however, the old fox may have been too clever by half.

Scheduled for consideration by the Senate today (Thursday) is the Defense Department appropriations bill, containing $15 billion in additional spending tied to the terrorist attacks. While this money does not belong in the Pentagon's bill, the funds are legitimately designated for homeland security and aid to New York. But Byrd, as Senate Appropriations Committee chairman, has deposited in other appropriations bills pork worth billions that might have been spent fighting terrorism.

The snap judgment has been that Bob Byrd has triumphed again. However, even Appropriations Committee colleagues think the master has reached too far. George W. Bush is sticking to his previous promise to veto excessive appropriations. That threat may block the Byrd bundle in the Senate, if a point of order is ruled requiring 60 votes for passage. If not, Bush will veto the bill. Politically, Byrd looks like the loser against the popular president.

What has gotten President Bush's back up is the post-Sept. 11 signed agreement by Byrd for $686 billion in federal spending this year. Almost immediately, Byrd started ratcheting up the numbers. How much he wanted or what bill he wanted to use as a vehicle has varied the last several weeks. It ended up with $15 billion extra -- $7.5 billion for homeland security, $7.5 billion for aid to New York -- added to the Defense bill.

The administration's position is that Congress has appropriated more than enough for homeland security and New York and that the president can ask for more next year if necessary. Bush considers this a matter of presidential prerogative. He contends it is for him, not Byrd, to determine the government's needs for specified programs. For example: accelerated purchase of smallpox vaccines, hiring 624 additional federal food inspectors, funding Environmental Protection Agency anti-terrorism, and an extra $21 million for White House security.

Where's the pork that is Byrd's trademark? Hidden elsewhere. He has planted $14.9 billion more than what the president requested in seven appropriations bills. That is money that could have gone for homeland security funds that Democrats insist is needed and have put in the Defense bill.

The $14.9 billion includes $8.3 billion in earmarks that constitute a working definition of pork: special spending not requested by the administration or authorized by Congress but desired by individual senators. The still pending Transportation appropriations bill alone contains 681 earmarks costing $3.2 billion.

In the tradition of congressional logrolling, Byrd spreads the wealth around among colleagues. But, as always, he takes care of his West Virginia. In the Transportation bill, the state gets $6.6 million as part of the National Scenic Byways Program. The National Tracing Center facility in Martinsburg, W. Va., gets $3.5 million from the Treasury bill. The Veterans Administration-HUD bill gives $1.5 million to the Appalachian Bible College in Bradley, W.Va., for its student center.

Once Byrd decided how he wanted to load the Defense appropriations bill, his committee quickly rubber-stamped it this week. Only on Monday night did he release details. The Senate did not then debate whether the president of the United States or the president pro-tem of the Senate (Byrd) should determine the shape of anti-terrorism spending. Nor did it discuss this year's pork explosion. Nor did it debate the becalmed economic stimulus bill.

Instead, it spent hours debating what I previously have called the Great Train Robbery of 2001: a bill draining $15.3 billion from the Treasury to provide gilt-edged railroad worker pensions. They were debating only because two Republican senators -- Phil Gramm of Texas and Don Nickles of Oklahoma -- insisted on making the argument in a lost cause. With railway management and railway labor agreeing on the Treasury raid, a huge bipartisan majority favored the bill.

Paradoxically, with the surpluses gone, so is senatorial spending restraint. Sen. Byrd just went a little too far in breaking his word to the president.

Contact Robert Novak

©2001 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

townhall.com

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To: William Tell
Simple. Elect a President who believes in the limitations prescribed by the Constitution for the Federal government.

So, then, we are destined to NOT reign it in because these ArseHoles in Congress won't STOP puttin' that crap in there and there are enough stupid voters to elect knucklehead presidents and CONgressmen? I hate that!

Bush will veto the bill, because he's not x42, thank goodness! What about in 8 years, though?

21 posted on 12/05/2001 11:15:34 AM PST by MeekOneGOP
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To: Verginius Rufus
Appalachian Bible College, which had 186 students a few years ago?

From their web site:

Current matriculation is approximately 300.

Oh, and BTW, what ever happened to Separation of Church and State?

22 posted on 12/05/2001 12:24:09 PM PST by jackbill
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To: gumbo
When this old Byrd dies, it's gonna be absolutely nauseating to hear all the encomia from the fawning media.

I expressed similar thoughts - about Helen Thomas - on another thread today. Unfortunately I was not familiar with the word "encomia" or I would have used it.

23 posted on 12/05/2001 12:26:27 PM PST by jackbill
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To: MeeknMing
MeeknMing said: "Bush will veto the bill, because he's not x42, thank goodness! What about in 8 years, though?"

Think "Dick Cheney / Condi Rice" ...

And then in 16 years...

24 posted on 12/05/2001 12:27:21 PM PST by William Tell
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To: JohnHuang2
Sen. Byrd just went a little too far in breaking his word to the president.

Ruh Roh! That is the #1 No No with this President! I hope Robert Byrd goes down big time on this issue; that would be so SWEEET!!

25 posted on 12/05/2001 12:32:09 PM PST by SuziQ
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To: paul51
Indeed.

Recall "Conservative" Alabama Senator Shelby getting a couple million for a statue for the Roman God, Vulcan?

26 posted on 12/05/2001 12:32:55 PM PST by JohnGalt
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To: jackbill
I had thought of trying to find a website but had assumed they wouldn't have one. I see they have an "atheletic director." It sounds very nice for students who want that kind of education, but I still don't see why the U.S. taxpayers are supposed to pick up the tab for the new student center.

The faculty shows a regrettable lack of diversity. Maybe someone should question Senator Byrd about Appalachian Bible College's stance on such vital issues as diversity and interracial dating. Remember the grief candidate George W. Bush got for setting foot on the Bob Jones University campus (where some of the ABC faculty were educated).

27 posted on 12/05/2001 1:20:27 PM PST by Verginius Rufus
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To: Verginius Rufus
The faculty shows a regrettable lack of diversity. Maybe someone should question Senator Byrd about Appalachian Bible College's stance on such vital issues as diversity and interracial dating.

Great idea. Think I'll try to get this to the Washington Post.

28 posted on 12/05/2001 4:42:20 PM PST by jackbill
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