Earmark Laden Ominbus Bill is Dead

From the Atlanta Constitution - Two days after unveiling a 1,924 page earmark-filled Omnibus Budget plan, Democrats last night pulled the plug on the massive budget bill, sparking an hour of bitter exchanges on the Senate floor. What most people probably don't realize is that the Omnibus bill was the product of months of negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee, all of which had the backing of Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
In other words - it was Business As Usual in the Congress. "It was a Democratic and Republican bill," complained Sen. Reid. But after the results of the November elections were in - where a dominant message was that Congress was spending too much money - McConnell pulled a 180 degree turn and declared his opposition to the bill, ultimately bringing other GOP Senators along with him.

"There's only one reason why cloture is not being filed," McConnell said just a few feet away from Reid on the Senate floor last night, "He doesn't have the votes." A number of GOP Senators - "Nine" according to Reid - had been ready to back the bill and overcome any filibuster. But in the past 48 hours, they came under huge pressure from McConnell, other Republicans and conservative groups, and were forced to drop their support. "We just saw a rather extraordinary event on the floor of the Senate," said Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who for years fought a lonely, losing battle against leaders in both parties over spending and earmarks. "Huge defeat for the big spenders, and a great victory for the American people," McCain said. Read full story here:

Earmark Laden Ominbus Bill is Dead