Senate Ends Impasse on Committee Funding

Associated Press

[RCW2001]

Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, January 15, 2003; 9:16 PM

WASHINGTON –– Senate leaders reached agreement Wednesday on how the two parties will divide up committee funding, ending an impasse that had deflected the Senate from its legislative business and clouded the debut of new Majority Leader Bill Frist.

With the deal on committee organization, coming eight days after the 108th Congress opened, committee chairmanships will finally be turned over to the new Republican majority and 11 Senate freshmen will get their promised seats on the 20 Senate committees.

Frist, R-Tenn., said the deal was fair to both sides, and, with it done, the Senate can begin to "accomplish what we are all about, which is to proceed with the nation's business."

The completion of that normally routine housekeeping chore removes a distraction that had postponed hearings still nominally under Democratic chairmen and delayed action on a $385 billion catchall spending bill for the fiscal year starting last Oct. 1. The last Congress failed to act on the legislation to fund non-defense federal agencies.

The dispute made for a contentious start to the new session and its new leader, Frist, with Democrats claiming they were being treated unfairly and Republicans accusing Democrats of ignoring the results of last November's election that put the GOP back in the majority.

There was never a problem with numbers: In the last Congress, Democrats held a one-seat advantage on committees and in this session, Republicans will gain a one-seat edge.

But Democrats said that traditional committee funding ratios, where the minority got as little as one-third of the money going to each committee, was no longer relevant in light of the last Congress when the funds were divided nearly equally.

The 107th Congress began in a 50-50 tie, and the parties agreed to a formula of near parity in seats, funds and space. There were only minor changes in the funding ratio when Sen. James Jeffords, I-Vt., left the Republicans and shifted power to the Democrats.

Under the agreement outlined in a joint leadership letter, committee budgets will reflect the current ratio of the Senate, where Republicans have 51 seats and the Democrats, with Jeffords, have 49. An additional 10 percent will be given to the Republican chairman of each committee for administrative expenses.

Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said the agreement was "the mirror image of the resolution we passed in the 107th Congress," when Democrats were up by 51-49. "We are very pleased with the outcome of the negotiations." Daschle said he hoped the precedent of committee structures being proportionate to Senate seats would continue in the future.

As in the past, individual committees will still be able to make adjustments in the formula.

© 2003 The Associated Press

[The Wizard]

if dasshole is happy, we lost

[vannrox]

.


FOX News has reported this as a Republican VICTORY.

Apparently, according to FOX, that the financial distribution that the DemoRATS have requested did not materialize. The only compromise has in a minor committe mix. I don't know the details. But this AP report that the Democrats have a victory is totally opposite that what FOX is reporting.

Hum...


.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Good point. Hopefully this is written in stone as a precedent.

[Sabertooth]

Perhaps when its about an issue that is really important. Compromise on the little things, stand firm on the big ones.

The Democrats were bluffing, and we should have called them on it.

We pay a cumulative price for these retreats (not "compromises").

Democrats said that traditional committee funding ratios, where the minority got as little as one-third of the money going to each committee, was no longer relevant in light of the last Congress when the funds were divided nearly equally.

The rationale behind the Democrats demands was that they felt they shouldn't have to give up a lot of the ground won in Trent Lott's funding surrender in 2001. That was their beachhead for this advance.

[montag813]

Compromise on the little things, stand firm on the big ones

It's much harder to win on the big things, such as judicial nominations, when you give Schmuck Schumer 40+% (instead of 33%) of the budget, money he can use to dig up dirt and hire P.I.'s on every nominee.

[Howlin]

now hand us the friggin hammers or we kick their faces in

ROFLMAO.

[Fred Mertz]

The Pubbies caved.

Why do I waste my time........?

[PhiKapMom]

45/45 plus 10% for the Republican Chairman is what I came up with too!

With not being able to invoke cloture, this was not going to go away and with the Iraq war around the corner, it was an impossible situation. I resent Sen Frist being put in this position by the RATs knowing full well there were not enough votes to close off debate.

If Lott wouldn't have agreed to this in the last Senate, it would not have been a problem now!

[MJY1288]

We can thank Trent Lott for this. It was his power sharing resolution in 2001 that give these stinking RATS the inch they needed to take a mile

[PhiKapMom]

My sentiments exactly! Without Lott/McCain caving in 2000 this never would have been a problem.

[JZoback]

That would be sweet.

I hope Mr. Frist told Little Tommy to go suck his thumb somewhere else, ..cause the adults are again in charge.

I've been disappointed so many times by "spineless" Lott, it's almost too good to think it could be real.

[Uncle Bill]

"This is a fair resolution," said Sen. Tom Daschle

Yep, pulling that radio flyer wagon full of crap towards the socialist cliff one compromise at a time. Rah, rah, rah.

[mrsmith]

Article doesn't give enough info.
Anyway, here's last year's agreement (the closest thing to a 'precedent' for a 51-49 Senate) for comparison:

"the budgets and office space for such committees, and all other subgroups, shall likewise be equal, with up to an additional 10% to be allocated for administrative expenses to be determined by the Rules Committee"

[wimpycat]

Look at it this way. Instead of giving Chuckie Schumer 7% more than you wanted to give him, he's getting 10% less than he wanted.

What I've read on the other thread is that the split is 60/40.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Well i must say disenfranchisment works both ways for democrats dont it for them and against anyone that votes hows it feel folks to be frist f***** ? from and by the very people we voted for all i can hope is next time the kiss us first so i can see it coming being blindsided sucks.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Regardless of the outcome, Tiny Tom would spin it as a victory. Right now I'm thinking of all the issues TT thought he had won but in reality hadn't.

I keep reading and hearing about the superior legislative and leadership skills the Senate Minority Leader possesses but as of yet (IMHO) has not demonstrated.

[PhiKapMom]

Haven't seen you around for awhile! I don't think I would have caved but then I don't know all the details.

All I know is that this started with Lott because they were afraid they were going to lose control if Strom died with a RAT Governor in SC. Instead the traitor walked across the aisle which set this whole deal up!

[deport]

What I've read on the other thread is that the split is 60/40.

---

I think that may have been a bunch of wishfull thinking.... this article seems to indicate otherwise.... but in either case the democrats got more than previous minorities prior to the 107th.....

Them republicans are neogiating fools....

[PhiKapMom]

You are so right! Daschle was going to spin it for a victory whatever happened. The RATs have no conscience and I sure hope the Republicans get it down as a Rule that this is the way it will be.

Makes me get mad at Jeffords all over again as well!

[Uncle Bill]

"We are very pleased with the outcome of the negotiations." Daschle said.

Math made easy