Senators reject restrictions on abortion
December 13, 2009 - 10:00 pm
WASHINGTON -- Continuing to debate a landmark health care bill, the Senate voted last week against tighter restrictions on abortions.
Senators voted 54-45 to kill an amendment that would have banned the use of taxpayer money to pay for abortions directly or indirectly. It is one of the major issues confronting Congress as it wrestles with a health care overhaul.
Among dozens of big changes to the nation's health system, the bill would provide subsidies to help uninsured people buy coverage. An amendment by Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., would have prohibited women who get subsidies from buying health insurance that includes abortion coverage.
It also would have banned any new government-backed insurance plans from covering abortions.
Nelson said taxpayers "shouldn't be required to pay for abortions."
Opponents said the amendment would limit the health policies available to women, even if they paid out of their own pockets. They said current law already includes curbs on federal funding for abortions.
The Nelson amendment "is discriminatory against women," said Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont. "Women are the only group of people who are told how to use their own private money. That is unfair."
Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., voted for the Nelson amendment. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., voted against it.
HOUSE VOTES TO EXTEND BREAKS
The House voted 241-181 for the government to continue offering a variety of tax breaks to families and businesses, including write-offs for sales taxes and certain charitable giving, corporate research and store remodeling.
The measure would extend roughly 40 provisions in the tax code that are to expire at the end of the year. The bill was sent to the Senate.
The tax breaks would cost $31 billion, which would be offset in part by raising taxes on the income of investment fund managers and cracking down on international tax cheats.
While the tax breaks enjoyed broad support, Republicans protested that raising taxes on fund managers and venture capitalists will stymie investment and hurt the economy.
Reps. Shelley Berkley and Dina Titus, both D-Nev., voted for the bill. Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., voted against it.
HOUSE CLEARS 2010 SPENDING
The House passed a $446.8 billion bill to finalize spending for dozens of federal agencies into 2010. The vote was 221-202.
The year-end bill combined six of the seven major appropriations bills that Congress had not yet completed, including money for the departments of State, Commerce, Transportation, Interior, Education and Justice.
Congress is moving separately to finalize a 2010 spending bill for the Defense Department before lawmakers are expected to adjourn next week for the holidays.
The annual appropriations bills are must-pass in order for the government to keep running. Critics complained that Congress once again was unable to complete them individually and was wrapping them together, inserting about 5,000 earmarks in the process.
Berkley and Titus voted for the bill. Heller voted against it.
FINANCE RULE CHANGES ADVANCE
The House voted 223-202 for a bill that rewrites a number of regulations for financial institutions, a response to the near-collapse of the nation's money system last year.
The bill would set up a system for managing troubled Wall Street corporations, giving the government new powers to reorganize failing companies. It seeks to strengthen protections for investors while shining light on financial markets that have escaped federal regulation to date.
One major element would create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency that would police mortgage and credit cards for clarity and fairness.
The bill was backed by President Barack Obama and shepherded by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. Supporters said it would avoid a replay of the 2008 financial panic.
Critics, mostly Republicans, complained it was a big-government bill that would write into law bailouts for bad corporate behavior while imposing new costs on businesses and killing jobs. They said it would restrict credit to consumers and small businesses.
Berkley and Heller voted for the bill. Heller voted against it.
Contact Stephens Washington Bureau Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault @stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.