Sen. Sanders Votes ‘No’ on Spending Deal

[cal04]

http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=e46805f5-6a46-4d97-a758-749da15e6ecd

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today voted against a year-end budget package that raids the Social Security trust fund, fails to make millionaires pay their fair share, surrenders to Republican demands on the environment and shortchanges the home heating assistance program.

On a separate roll call vote, Sanders voted with the 72-to-27 majority for a disaster relief bill. The measure boosts to $7.1 billion the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief fund. Vermont could be in line for an estimated $200 million to help the state recover from flood damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Irene.

The Senate-passed package of spending and tax provisions would extend for two months a Social Security payroll tax cut. "Middle-class working families need tax relief to help them survive in this terrible economy," Sanders said, "but diverting billions of dollars from Social Security to provide that tax relief is wrong. This continues a dangerous process that began last year. I strongly believe tax relief should be done in a different way."

The deal also included a provision to force the White House to make a speedy decision on a controversial proposal to build an oil pipeline from Alberta, Canada, to Texas. "I strongly oppose the provision to fast-track approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. Producing tar sands oil creates 82 percent more carbon pollution than conventional oil, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. NASA scientist James Hansen says exploiting the tar sands would be ‘game over' for our efforts to reverse global warming. I urge President Obama to call the Republicans' bluff and reject the dangerous Keystone XL project," Sanders said.

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http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/12/senate-passes-payroll-tax-cut-extension-sends-bill-to-the-house-for-final-passage/
The vote breakdown: Two Democrats, Senator Joe Manchin, D-West Va. and Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., voted against the bill. Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also voted against the bill.

(snip)
Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, called the two-month payroll tax extension “a failure for the American people.” He added, “I am furious and disgusted that anyone could imagine this stop-gap measure is the best that Congress could offer.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/us/politics/extension-of-payroll-tax-cut-passes-senate.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

[Warren Stupidity]

1. So we have like one senator and a half dozen reps who are not bought and paid for by the kleptocracy

Great. Thanks Bernie for being there.

[teddy51]

2. It would seem that way. There are so many that we need to get rid of, but Bernie is not one of them.