Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wanted to put a stop to President Obama’s latest stump speech that says that Republican’s are responsible for his jobs Bill not being passed expediently. McConnell asked that the bill be brought up from an immediate vote on the Senate Floor. Senate Majority leader, Harry Reid, immediately intervened to stop the vote (knowing that the Bill does not have enough votes to pass) and called McConnell’s move a political stunt.
Stunt or not, one thing is crystal clear, Reid is not interested in an immediate debate or vote on the bill. The New York Times pointed out recently that President Obama doesn’t even have support among Democrats to pass the in it’s current form.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, in an attempt to pluck an arrow out of President Obama’s rhetorical quiver, tried to get the Senate to vote on the president’s $447 billion jobs bill Tuesday — presumably to test whether Democrats have the votes to pass it.
Media Credit: CBS News
But while Obama repeatedly has called on Congress to pass the bill right away, Democratic Leader Harry Reid shot down the effort, accusing McConnell of pulling a political stunt.
“I am disappointed that he would play games with this important legislation,” Reid said, pledging to take up the bill later on in the session.
Reid blocks attempt by McConnell to vote on president’s jobs bill
Reid used a procedural maneuver called “filling the tree,” which allows the majority leader to say a piece of legislation has had all of its possibilities for amendments.
McConnell had tried to offer the president’s job package as an amendment to the China currency legislation, which was being debated in chamber. By “filing the tree,” Reid blocked that move.
“What I am trying to do here today by requesting this vote on the president’s jobs bill … is to honor the request of the president of the United States that we vote on it now,” McConnell said. “He has been asking us repeatedly over the last few weeks that we vote on it now.”
“I think the president of the United States, whose polices I generally do not support … is entitled to know where the Senate stands on his proposal that he has been out talking about … and suggesting that we are unwilling to vote on it,” he said.
Reid called McConnell’s request a “political stunt” and “senseless.”
via Reid blocks attempt by McConnell to vote on president’s jobs bill – The Hill’s Floor Action.
Obama Campaign Says GOP Blocking Jobs Bill–After Reid Blocks Jobs Bill
The Obama campaign sent out an email today asking supporters to urge Congress to at least vote on the president’s jobs bill almost immediately after Democratic majority leader Harry Reid blocked a vote on the bill in the Senate.
On the Senate floor today, Republican leader Mitch McConnell asked for unanimous consent to proceed on voting on the bill. Reid, who has struggled to find enough votes for the bill in the Democratic caucus, objected to the motion and killed the opportunity for a vote.
About ten minutes later, Jim Messina, Obama’s 2012 campaign manager, emailed this message to supporters:
President Obama is in Dallas today urging Americans who support the American Jobs Act to demand that Congress pass it already.
Though it’s been nearly a month since he laid out this plan, House Republicans haven’t acted to pass it. And House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is out there actually bragging that they won’t even put the jobs package up for a vote — ever.
It’s not clear which part of the bill they now object to: building roads, hiring teachers, getting veterans back to work. They’re willing to block the American Jobs Act — and they think you won’t do anything about it.
But here’s something you can do: Find Republican members of Congress on Twitter, call them out, and demand they pass this bill.
via Obama Campaign Says GOP Blocking Jobs Bill–After Reid Blocks Jobs Bill | The Weekly Standard.
Post Published: 04 October 2011
Author: politisite
Found in section:
Congress,
Politics
Tags: Barack Obama, Bid, block, call, Democrats, Harry Reid, McConnell, Mitch McConnell, Obama Jobs Bill, Party leaders of the United States Senate, pass this bill, Reid, Reid called move a Charade, senate, United States, vote
