Two bills were approved by the House with wide bipartisan support last Tuesday. It is certain that Senate approval will be forthcoming sooner than expected.
Each is facing problems, let’s just call them speed bumps, in a chamber that was designed to do precisely that. To the dismay of any supporters of legislation, however, the chamber’s procedural netherworld has entangled them all.
One measure could help to reduce the huge financial burden on the Postal Service. The other would prevent a government shutdown this weekend.
Sen. Marsha BLACKBURN, R-Tenn. has threatened to delay the measure that would prevent a shutdown. This was in response to opposition from conservative lawmakers and media against a federal program that they claim would buy crack pipes for drug addicts.
This allegation is false, Democrats claim. A Blackburn spokesperson said Monday that she would withdraw her objections if she was given a written promise that the money she has received from taxpayers wouldn’t go towards the pipes.
Separately, Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) blocked Monday’s initial vote on the Postal Service bill. He said it needed to be reworked. He claimed it would add more stress to our already huge national debt due to poor financial planning and simply shift debt onto Medicare, which has its own solvency issues.
Scott stated that there is no imminent deadline that would require a rush to act by the Senate. This delay meant that the Senate wouldn’t approve the bill before next week’s scheduled recess.
Scott stated that Scott’s roadblock will not harm the Postal Service. Supporters of the measure claimed it would cause damage to the service and reaffirm voter dismay at Congress.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stated that “what we heard was why people really are frustrated and angered at United States Senate.” Scott was accused of using “a technical detail to delay a bipartisan bill” and he lamented that the Senate’s “arcane rules allow one person to speak up” and delay legislation widely supported.
Senate bills have been subject to delays for years, and this is not without reason. According to an apocryphal story, George Washington might have said to Thomas Jefferson, that the Founding Fathers created the Senate to “cool” House Bills, just like how saucers can cool hot tea.
All 100 senators must agree to allow the chamber to begin debating legislation, and then vote on it. This is usually fast and common for widely supported bills.
Except when it doesn’t. This can happen when senators from either party want to use any delay to their advantage or to bring attention to a particular issue.
Already, the Postal Service bill had an embarrassing problem as it traveled several hundred feet from the House to reach the Senate. The House staff sent an earlier version of legislation which was incorrectly missing a last-minute change.
Schumer scheduled last week a Monday night vote to limit the time that was available for the deliberation of the incomplete postal bill. Scott blocked Schumer’s unanimous consent to allow him to amend the bill to allow for a vote on the entire legislation.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who was the author of the postal measure, said, “Let’s assist the American people, and let’s demonstrate that the United States Senate can get a job done.”
Peters said earlier Monday that he had spoken to Scott, but didn’t know why he was trying to hold up the mail. He said, “I hope people aren’t intent on hurting our Postal Service.”
The bill would eliminate the requirement that the Postal Service pay 75 years’ advance for retirees’ health benefits. This has led to it incurring tens and billions of dollars in debt. It would also be required to maintain deliveries for six days a week and provide data by zip code on how fast mail is delivered.
The government would continue to operate through March 11th under the separate, short-term spending bill. It is intended to give bargainers enough time to complete legislation financing agencies throughout the remainder of the fiscal year which ends Sept. 30.
Blackburn is opposed to $30 million federal grant program to drug addicts to avoid more health risks. Last week, she said that the money should not “fund vending machines to crack pipes”. Sens. Similar complaints were made by Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).
Last week, the government released guidelines that stated equipment costs can be covered. But the Biden administration claimed the program wouldn’t cover safe pipes used for methamphetamine or crack use. Items covered include medications to prevent overdoses, and containers for disposing of syringes.
Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, stated last week that pipes were “never a part” of the kit and blamed the chaos on “inaccurate reportage.”
Advocates say harm reduction programs can help people with trouble avoid worsening problems. Critics claim they encourage drug abuse.
Friday midnight marks the expiration of the latest short-term bill. A shutdown during an election year would not serve either party’s political interest, so agreement to approve the measure can be expected.
