Jul 09 2009
Senate Pwned by DeMint Over Blockage of Fed Audit
Senator DeMint handled this with absolute class. He tried to attach an amendment to the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act that would require an audit of the Federal Reserve. The amendment, S 604, sponsored by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is the Senate counterpart to Ron Paul’s HR 2918 in the House. Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) blocked a vote on the amendment citing Senate Rule 16 which does not allow for legislating on an appropriations bill.
DeMint, with all his cool and collectiveness was quick to point out the hypocrisy of Nelson envoking Rule 16 by citing GAO audits of other government entities already attached to the same bill as well as a $200,000 earmark for a museum in Nebraska, Nelson’s state, the only earmark in the bill. Our dear Senator Kay Hagan in North Carolina who was presiding over the Senate at the time points out that DeMint is correct in that all of these other provisions in the bill directly violate Senate Rule 16, but they weren’t removing them and were still going to disallow DeMint’s Amendment.
Over half of the members of the House of Representatives have cosponsored Ron Paul’s bill. It will definitely pass if voted on. So the bigger question that hangs out there is why are Senate Democrats so terrified of a Federal Reserve audit? Who and what are they protecting and will the American people let them get away with this?
It is an amazing example of hypocrisy. I think what we are seeing is pretty much just flexing of Congressional muscle with no intent to follow thru. It’s either just a show for the populace where they can say, “We tried.” Or they were flexing their muscle just for the Federal Reserve to see that they need to pay attention to their desires. I know that seems pretty conspiratorial and all, but at this point I don’t know what else to think.
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