Boxer Pessimistic on Senate Bill as Parliamentary Sabotage Rears Its Head

During the current push for multi-year transportation bill, the Senate has been known more for its spirit of bipartisanship than any visionary policy advances. Now that the bill has hit the Senate floor, however, it’s getting a little ugly.

By Ben Goldman

1:30 PM PST on February 16, 2012

Republican Senators have proposed a number of contentious amendments in order to stall the bill’s passage. Senator Barbara Boxer, whose Environment and Public Works Committee got the ball rolling on the bill last December, says these amendments are “ridiculously unrelated.” For example, Rand Paul has proposed an amendment that would cut off American aid to Egypt until the 19 American civilians there are allowed to leave. Other amendments try to thwart the president’s compromise on insurance coverage for contraception.

In response, majority leader Harry Reid has “filled the tree,” proposing enough amendments to fill all available slots before any other senator can do the same. The move triggers another cloture vote, this time on specific amendments themselves, rather than the entire bill. The vote, scheduled for tomorrow, will decide whether the Senate goes forward in combining the EPW, Commerce, Banking, and Finance titles into a single bill.