As the House worked through the night on Thursday night, a mid-year budget cutting bill became more of a policy exercise, as Republicans struck back at the Obama Administration.
In a flurry of votes around dinner time, the House first voted to block the Federal Communications Commission from enforcing its controversial decision on "Net Neutrality."
Backers of net neutrality say the plan can help protect consumers by preventing internet providers from arbitrarily blocking services and more - but opponents see the same regulations as being anti-consumer and anti-competition.
Thirteen Democrats joined with all but four Republicans to vote in favor of the plan, which utilizes a little known method of adding policy matters to spending bills in the House, by telling agencies what they cannot spend money to do.
For example later today, the House will vote on an amendment that would block the feds from spending any money to implement the Obama health law.
Along with the net neutrality issue, the House also voted to block the EPA from enforcing certain rules on toxic air emissions; that vote was 250-177, as 19 Democrats joined with almost all Republicans to deliver a rebuke on clean air issues.
This issue centers on the "Portland Cement Industry," which Rep. John Carter (R-TX) argued would be hit with oppressive regulations under new EPA clean air efforts.
"Industry analysts say the rule places 1,800 high-paying jobs at risk in the cement industry, another 9,000 jobs in the construction industry, will close 18 plants initially, and increase cement costs by as much as 15%," said Carter, arguing it will harm economic growth in the Lone Star State.
Democrats fought back in a furious House floor debate, but the final numbers were a reminder that they no longer control the House of Representatives.
After the EPA vote, the House voted 249-179 to block funding for nine different "czars" in the Obama Administration, as Republicans lashed out against various high-profile jobs that have been labeled as "Special Assistants" to the President and other top cabinet officials.
Critics have said the jobs have been designed to get around Senate confirmation and the oversight reach of the Congress - 13 Democrats agreed as they joined all but one Republican in voting for the Czar Crackdown.
The jobs that are impacted by this amendment are:
(1) Director, White House Office of Health Reform.
(2) Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change.
(3) Special Envoy for Climate Change.
(4) Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Council on Environmental Quality.
(5) Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury assigned to the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry and Senior Counselor for Manufacturing Policy.
(6) White House Director of Urban Affairs.
(7) Special Envoy to oversee the closure of the Detention Center at Guantanamo Bay.
(8) Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation, Department of the Treasury.
(9) Associate General Counsel and Chief Diversity Officer, Federal Communications Commission.
Lead sponsor Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) estimated the amendment would save a minimum of $1.5 million, since the jobs average $170,000 salaries. The savings would go up when related costs and expenses are added in, an aide told me last night.
As for the bottom line, the House approved about $100 million in budget cuts on Thursday, edging the total savings in this bill to nearly $62 billion.
That total could grow later today, when two amendments on across the board cuts are considered - then again - both of those could well go down to defeat.
Stay tuned.
As the House worked through the night on Thursday night, a mid-year budget cutting bill became more of a policy exercise, as Republicans struck back at the Obama Administration. In a flurry of votes around dinner time, the House first voted to block the Federal Communications Commission from enforcing its ...
