GOP Senator (Blackburn) Cites Drug-Pipe Questions in Holding Up Stopgap Spending Bill
Source: WSJ
WASHINGTON—Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) said that she will hold up a bill to keep the government funded until the Biden administration responds to her questions about whether a program intended to help people with substance-abuse disorders could be used for pipes to smoke illicit substances. Her position injects uncertainty into the government’s ability to avoid a partial shutdown later this week. While a single senator can’t stop legislation, he or she can slow down the process by declining to consent to cutting out procedural hurdles.
The Senate is aiming to pass a three-week government funding bill by Feb. 18, when a current funding bill expires, in order to provide breathing room for negotiators to reach a deal funding the full fiscal year. A Senate Democratic aide said that there isn’t enough time to go through each step in the process with the maximum amount of debate time and still avoid a temporary shutdown. “All we want to know is how much money they are using for safe-smoking kits? What is in the kits? Where is this money going?” Ms. Blackburn said in an interview. “Once I get an answer, I will lift my hold. I’m just waiting for an answer.”
The last-minute flare-up over government spending centers on a $30 million harm-reduction grant program. The program is operated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a division of the Health and Human Services Department. The Washington Free Beacon reported on a provision of the program that allows funds to be spent on safe smoking kits and supplies, which it said could include crack pipes. Following that report, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said last week that no federal funding “will be used directly or through subsequent reimbursement of grantees to put pipes in safe smoking kits.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said pipes were never part of the program, saying instead the kits would include items such as alcohol swabs to reduce the transmission of diseases such as HIV and hepatitis.
Ms. Blackburn said that HHS hasn’t responded to a Feb. 8 letter in which she asked Mr. Becerra to clarify whether the Biden administration was authorizing the distribution of pipes for people to smoke crack cocaine, crystal methamphetamine and other illicit substances. She said that she also hasn’t received a phone call from either the HHS chief or the head of the mental-health agency operating the program.
Read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/gop-senator-cites-drug-pipe-questions-in-holding-up-stopgap-spending-bill-11644884351 (subscription)
= new reply since forum marked as read
And We the People are screwed.
because of some BS about pipes... 
Here's your answer:
Ask a stupid question.......
