Republicans Shut Down Senate to Protest Healthcare?

[Faeelin]

I'm not sure what to make of these two stories, isince both come via Thinkprogress, but WTF?

DENVER — U.S. Sen. Mark Udall and a Colorado state senator have gotten caught in the crossfire over health care.

A hearing Tuesday on Udall's bill to protect communities from bark beetles was canceled after Republicans angry over the passage of health insurance reform legislation blocked it by using an obscure Senate rule requiring a unanimous consent to hold hearings scheduled after 2 p.m.

Among the witnesses set to testify at the hearing was Colorado state Rep. Christine Scanlan, who represents the Vail Valley, and Colorado state Sen. Dan Gibbs.

Udall says he hopes to get the hearing rescheduled this week.

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20100323/NEWS/100329883/1078&ParentProfile=1062


http://assets.sunlightfoundation.com/blog/committee323.html

Sunlight is the best of disinfectants..." Those were practically the last words out of the mouth of the Sunlight Foundation's Executive Director Ellen Miller as a hearing on federal financial management and transparency was ground to a halt by obstructive roadblocks thrown up by the minority in the wake of the approval to move forward and debate a reconciliation package that contains fixes to the newly minted health care reform law.

Senate rules require that hearings held after 2 p.m. be approved by unanimous consent to continue. After the Democratic majority won passage of a motion to proceed to debate the reconciliation bill by a vote of 56-40, Republicans refused to consent to the continuation of hearings. The Republicans also lost in an attempt to block the reconciliation package when Senate Parliamentarian ruled against an objection to the way an excise tax is used to fund the health care law.

Two other committee hearings were canceled including the one featuring the Sunlight Foundation's Miller. These included a Commerce Committee hearing on broadband policy and an Energy & Natural Resources Committee hearing.

[Admiral Yi]

I was going to laugh, but then I realized there's not enough space in the title to type "Republicans Shut Down Senate Hearing on Bark Beetle Measures to Protest Health Care."

[grumbler]

Wow.  Just wow.  Every time the Democrats do something stupid, the Republicans remind us why there are only 41 Republicans in the Senate.

Anyone with a longer view of history knows that there has to have been an abuse of the unanimous consent rule as childish and petty as this in the past, but is still comes as a pretty surprising move, given that these are adult (and, I guess in some cases, post-adult) politicians engaged in this.

[Martinus]

Anyone with a longer view of history knows that there has to have been an abuse of the unanimous consent rule as childish and petty as this in the past

You are good until you get partitioned by Canada and Mexico.

[grumbler]

Anyone with a longer view of history knows that there has to have been an abuse of the unanimous consent rule as childish and petty as this in the past

You are good until you get partitioned by Canada and Mexico.

  Didn't make that connection, but it's a good one.

[Brazen]

Won't somebody think of the bark beetles?

[Faeelin]

Senate Republicans fuming over the passage of health care reform are now refusing to work past 2 p.m. -- a tactic they can employ by invoking a little-known Senate rule.

On Wednesday, the Judiciary Committee was forced to cancel a hearing as was the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) tweeted today : "Disappointed. Rs refusing to allow hearings today. Had to cancel my oversight hearing on police training contracts in Afghanistan."

Sen. Mark Udall also complained that he had to delay a hearing on the cause of Western forest fires.

Making good on Sen. John McCain's threat to withhold all Republican cooperation from Democrats in the Senate in retribution for the majority party using reconciliation to pass health care reform, the GOP used the rule that states committees can only meet when the chamber is in session with the unanimous consent of all members. That consent has almost never been withheld -- until now.

Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) asked for consent for his panel to operate Wednesday afternoon. He noted, ironically, that his request had the support of McCain.

"There is objection on our side of the aisle and therefore I object," said Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.).

The GOP objection blocked testimony from Admiral Robert Willard, United States Navy Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command; from General Kevin Chilton, United States Air Force, Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, and from General Walter Sharp, United States Army Commander, U.S. Forces Korea.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/24/gop-senators-refusing-to_n_511639.html?ref=fb&src=sp#sb=899111,b=facebook

[Martinus]

I hope Republicans rage-quit the Senate next.

[MadImmortalMan]

I hope Republicans rage-quit the Senate next.

How many Senators are required for a quorum anyway?

[Razgovory]

I thought the Republicans were trying to gain seats in congress not lose them.

[Neil]

Senate Republicans fuming over the passage of health care reform are now refusing to work past 2 p.m. -- a tactic they can employ by invoking a little-known Senate rule.

On Wednesday, the Judiciary Committee was forced to cancel a hearing as was the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) tweeted today : "Disappointed. Rs refusing to allow hearings today. Had to cancel my oversight hearing on police training contracts in Afghanistan."

Sen. Mark Udall also complained that he had to delay a hearing on the cause of Western forest fires.

Making good on Sen. John McCain's threat to withhold all Republican cooperation from Democrats in the Senate in retribution for the majority party using reconciliation to pass health care reform, the GOP used the rule that states committees can only meet when the chamber is in session with the unanimous consent of all members. That consent has almost never been withheld -- until now.

Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) asked for consent for his panel to operate Wednesday afternoon. He noted, ironically, that his request had the support of McCain.

"There is objection on our side of the aisle and therefore I object," said Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.).

The GOP objection blocked testimony from Admiral Robert Willard, United States Navy Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command; from General Kevin Chilton, United States Air Force, Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, and from General Walter Sharp, United States Army Commander, U.S. Forces Korea.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/24/gop-senators-refusing-to_n_511639.html?ref=fb&src=sp#sb=899111,b=facebook

The funny thing is that none of the stuff being delayed seems very important.

[The Minsky Moment]

Hearings on the DOD's FY2011 budget request not important?  I beg to differ.

If the shoe was on the other foot, Hans would be raving about traitors undermining US national security.

[derspiess]

Hearings on the DOD's FY2011 budget request not important?  I beg to differ.

If the shoe was on the other foot, Hans would be raving about traitors undermining US national security.

There'd be lots of other interesting stuff being said if the shoe were really on the foot.

Do you really wanna go there? 

[Neil]

Hearings on the DOD's FY2011 budget request not important?  I beg to differ.

If the shoe was on the other foot, Hans would be raving about traitors undermining US national security.

Hearings aren't ever important.

Besides, it's not like the US military has done anything actually useful vis-a-vis US national security in years.