Senate Republicans tried to embarrass Democrats who don’t support President Obama’s job bill by forcing a vote on the measure Thursday, but Democrats responded by stripping Republicans of legislative power.
The GOP tried to force Democrats to vote on Obama’s $447 billion jobs-creation bill to prove that even the president’s own party doesn’t support the proposal. Republicans tried to attach the jobs bill to a measure dealing with China.
However, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., responded to the Republican effort with a proposal, approved 51-48, that changed the rules of the Senate and stripped Republicans of their power to offer amendments to bills once the Senate agreed to cut off debate and vote.
It was an unusual and devastating blow to the minority party.
Reid and Democrats said they retaliated because they have grown tired of Republicans trying to slow down or block legislation with amendments unrelated to the bill on the floor.
“This has to come to an end,” Reid said. “This is no way to legislate.”
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., told Republicans they lost their power to change legislation on the floor “because you filibuster everything.”
Republicans decried the move.
“America doesn’t need less debate, it needs more debate,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. “I think we made a big mistake tonight.”
Republicans pushed for a vote on Obama’s jobs bill to demonstrate that many Democrats don’t support the president’s effort because it would raise taxes on people who earn $200,000 or more a year. Obama has been traveling the country telling voters that the only obstacle to his job-creating proposal was the Republican Party.
Senate Democrats have already altered Obama’s proposal to replace the tax increase he proposed with a 5 percent surcharge only on those who earn $1 million or more a year. Obama said Thursday that he’s “comfortable” with that change.
The dispute over the jobs bill derailed a vote on the China bill, which would penalize the Chinese for manipulating the value of their currency, until next week.
