Tuesday Truffles: WH Press Sec Gibbs Shares The Love

 As the House convenes today, Tuesday, August 10, to vote on some Senate last minute leftovers, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs shows the House members hesitating on voting for more stuff how to communicate effectively with the voters when they resume their 6 week August vacation and fundraising break.

http://thehill.com/homenews/ad…

“I hear these people saying he’s like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested,” Gibbs said. “I mean, it’s crazy.”

The press secretary dismissed the “professional left” in terms very similar to those used by their opponents on the ideological right, saying, “They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon. That’s not reality.”

Of those who complain that Obama caved to centrists on issues such as healthcare reform, Gibbs said: “They wouldn’t be satisfied if Dennis Kucinich was president.”

Gibbs said the professional left is not representative of the progressives who organized, campaigned, raised money and ultimately voted for Obama.

Progressives, Gibbs said, are the liberals outside of Washington “in America,” and they are grateful for what Obama has accomplished in a shattered economy with uniform Republican opposition and a short amount of time.

In the spirit of bipartisanshipthingee, I’ll quote Fox News now on what happened next:

http://www.foxnews.com/politic…

Tues Aug 10

WASHINGTON — In a rare moment of bipartisanship Tuesday, the House approved $600 million to pay for more unmanned surveillance drones and about 1,500 more agents along the troubled Mexican border.

Getting tougher on border security is one of the few issues that both parties agree on in this highly charged election season. But lawmakers remain deeply divided over a more comprehensive approach to the illegal immigration problem, and it’s unclear if Congress will go beyond border-tightening efforts.

The House passed the bill by an unrecorded voice vote after brief debate.

In fact, although Pelosi was supposedly calling the House back into session during break to vote on a “jobs” bill, ( which went flying under the radar as some Senate amendment to a House Amendment to a Senate Amendment,)   the HR 6080 Emergency Supplemental for Border Security for Fiscal Year 2010 was the very first thing they debated and suspended the rules and passed by voice vote today, at 10:54 am EDT.  You can see the Clerk of the House’s record here, look up Aug 10, 2010, because there will be NO ROLL CALL VOTE RECORD of this.  http://clerk.house.gov/floorsu…

text of bill from THOMAS here:  http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/…

Then the House got around to passing the $26 billion dollar “jobs” bill, and adjourned.

Here’s the roll call #518 on  HR 1586  http://clerk.house.gov/evs/201…

Yea 247      Nay 161

QUESTION:  On Motion to Concur in Senate Amendment to House Amendment to Senate Amendment

     BILL TITLE: To modernize the air traffic control system, improve the safety, reliability, and availability of transportation by air in the United States, provide for modernization of the air traffic control system, reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration, and for other purposes.

Say what ?  Thought you said “jobs.”  

Yes, when history looks back at this last minute POS, if they are just looking at the roll call Bill Title it looks like none of this happened.  The title is “Modernize Air traffic control…. ”  yadda yadda.

They gave a chunk of money to Medicaid, actually Medicaid drug reimbursements (if I am reading it correctly)  which is supposed to stop states from cutting other things.  $16 Billion.

And a chunk of money to education to save teacher’s jobs.   $10 Billion.

They allegedly closed a tax loophole which is supposed to keep jobs from going overseas.

They cut a bunch of other stuff.  Some of what they cut, like $12 billion from food stamps, some outlets in the MSM did report on.  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-50…   Others didn’t bother.    But if this is stimulus money, why did it need offsets ?

There is also a Senate Amendment to this, SA 4575, which is where the actual meat of the bill is. The amendment was lobbed back and forth between the Senate and House, they took the title of Charlie Rangel’s old bill, and tossed him under the bus.   After an exasperating search for the actual TEXT of the amendment, not just the discussion I found yesterday, I finally found it.

And I’ve read through it, and I’m still not sure just what it does.   And it’s huge.   The Senate even tried to amend the amendment, but that did not work.   There’s the Republicans whining and crying about the deficit to the public, and there’s Sen. John McCain and Sen. Kyl,  trying to double the amount of part of the other Homeland Security Border Patrol Drones for Arizona bill by tacking on more stuff to this one.

What I’m looking for are the recissions when they cut money from things previously funded.

S.AMDT 4575, sponsor Sen Patty Murray (WA) proposed 8/2/2010

TEXT OF AMENDMENT AS SUBMITTED: CR S6587-6592

Outline:

Page: S6586

TITLE V–ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

Subtitle C–Community Development Funds

“COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND

SHORT TITLE

TITLE I

EDUCATION JOBS FUND

EDUCATION JOBS FUNDS

Page: S6588

TITLE II–STATE FISCAL RELIEF AND OTHER PROVISIONS; REVENUE OFFSETS

Subtitle A–State Fiscal Relief and Other Provisions

EXTENSION OF ARRA INCREASE IN FMAP

TREATMENT OF CERTAIN DRUGS FOR COMPUTATION OF MEDICAID AMP

SUNSET OF TEMPORARY INCREASE IN BENEFITS UNDER THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION…

Subtitle B–Revenue Offsets

RULES TO PREVENT SPLITTING FOREIGN TAX CREDITS FROM THE INCOME TO WHICH THEY…

Page: S6589

DENIAL OF FOREIGN TAX CREDIT WITH RESPECT TO FOREIGN INCOME NOT SUBJECT TO…

Page: S6590

SEPARATE APPLICATION OF FOREIGN TAX CREDIT LIMITATION, ETC., TO ITEMS RESOURCED…

LIMITATION ON THE AMOUNT OF FOREIGN TAXES DEEMED PAID WITH RESPECT TO SECTION…

SPECIAL RULE WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN REDEMPTIONS BY FOREIGN SUBSIDIARIES

MODIFICATION OF AFFILIATION RULES FOR PURPOSES OF RULES ALLOCATING INTEREST…

TERMINATION OF SPECIAL RULES FOR INTEREST AND DIVIDENDS RECEIVED FROM PERSONS…

Page: S6591

LIMITATION ON EXTENSION OF STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR FAILURE TO NOTIFY…

ELIMINATION OF ADVANCE REFUNDABILITY OF EARNED INCOME CREDIT

TITLE III

RESCISSIONS

Page: S6592

TITLE IV

BUDGETARY PROVISIONS

BUDGETARY PROVISIONS

Page: S6593

Rescissions

Sec. 301. There is rescinded from accounts under the heading “Department of Agriculture–Rural Development”, $122,000,000, to be derived from the unobligated balances of funds that were provided for such accounts in prior appropriation Acts (other than Public Law 111-5) and that were designated by the Congress in such Acts as an emergency requirement pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget or the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.

   Sec. 302. Of the funds made available for “Department of Commerce–National Telecommunications and Information Administration–Broadband Technology Opportunities Program” in title II of division A of Public Law 111-5, $302,000,000 are rescinded.

Looks like rural Broadband for internet access just got nipped.

There is also Dept of Defense rescissions,  for the 2008-  2010 fiscal year.  Looks like this is money they never got around to spending.

Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, various procurements, research, operations, development, maintenance.  Millions.  (note, math not guaranteed but this is about $2.1 billion  DOD recissions )

More:

$20 million cut from DOE – Nuclear Energy.

$18 million from Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

$1.5 billion from  DOE title 17  Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program

$100 million from the Gen Services Admin  unobligated balances

$6.8 million  from BIA  Indian Guaranteed Loan Program Acct

$2.6 million from the EPA Superfund

$9.2  million from EPA Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust fund

$10 million from EPA   Env. Programs and management

$4.8 million from National Park Service Construction

$6.4 million from National Park Service Construction

unobligated balance of  funds for Public Health & Social Services Emerg. Fund

$47 million  for Commissioner of Social Security

$110 million  part VI  subtitle I of title II of division B of Public Law 111-5     (wonder what that was that they didn’t put the name on it )  

Dear Sweet Geebus.

$50 million  Dept of Education,  Education for the Disadvantaged literacy programs

$10.7  million from  Dept of Education, Innovation and Improvement  

$340 million from Dept of Defense, Military Construction, Army, from prior appropriations acts, except for emergencies or for overseas deployments

$110 million Dept of Defense, Military Construction, Navy and Marine Corps, from prior appropriations acts, except for emergencies  or for overseas deployments

$50 million from the Dept of Defense,  Air Force , Military Construction, not emergency or overseas

$6.1 million  Dept of Veterans Affairs Gen Operating Expenses

$5 million from  ARRA of 2009, Dept of Admin  Infor Tech Systems

$50 million from “Millennium Challenge Corporation.”  something about the Dept of State.  

$40 million from the Dept of State, Admin of Foreign Affairs-  Civilian Stabilization Initiative

$30 million from United States Agency for International Development Funds appropriated to the President-  Civilian Stabilization Initiative

_________

Remember how this is supposed to be an FAA bill ?   I found it !

$2.1 million from unobligated balances from the Dept of Transportation FAA facilities and equipment

$5.7 million from unobligated balances from the Dept of Transportation  FAA facilities and equipment

_________

and this $2.2 BILLION in leftovers:

Sec. 330. Of the unobligated balances of funds apportioned to each State under chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code, $2,200,000,000 are permanently rescinded: Provided, That such rescission shall be distributed among the States in the same proportion as the funds subject to such rescission were apportioned to the States for fiscal year 2009: Provided further, That such rescission shall not apply to the funds distributed in accordance with sections 130(f) and 104(b)(5) of title 23, United States Code; sections 133(d)(1) and 163 of such title, as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of Public Law 109-59; and the first sentence of section 133(d)(3)(A) of such title: Provided further, That notwithstanding section 1132 of Public Law 110-140, in administering the rescission required under this heading, the Secretary of Transportation shall allow each State to determine the amount of the required rescission to be drawn from the programs to which the rescission applies.

And it ended with some compliance thing section 401,  re Pay As You Go 2010 says the House goes first.

I would like to point out to Mr. Gibbs, not that he would have any idea who I was or care, that the “professional left,” nor the MSM, and especially not Fox Faux News,  would ever bother to seek out, go through a bill text, and see what was actually in it.  And then bother to post it so mere mortals might get a glimpse of the House of Lord’s ordering the House of the Befuddled around.  That’s left to the unprofessional left.   The taxpayers.