LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - WEEK ENDING FEBRUARY 3, 2006
HOUSE IN SESSION / SENATE IN SESSION
THE PRESIDENT
STATE OF THE UNION
On Tuesday evening President George W. Bush delivered his State of the Union address to Congress. Not a whole lot of new ground was covered by the President other than to call for massive new programs to move the United States away from the use of oil as a primary source of energy. The President is a pro-life social conservative and spoke artfully against cloning, but broke no new ground on social issues. He did not mention the value of traditional marriage which many had hoped for in light of numerous votes at the state level to protect that institution coming this year. The President did mention the need for a secure border but did not address the massive illegal immigration problem we now have. I am not critical of the President for not breaking much new ground in his speech. The fact is that the President has accomplished much of the agenda that he brought with him to the White House six years ago. He reduced taxes and started to restore the military as he promised. He also grew the involvement of the federal government in local education and brought forth the prescription drug plan for those on Social Security as he had promised. With much of his agenda accomplished there was not that much new to say. The President artfully defended his terrorist surveillance program which is under attack from extreme left wing elements in Congress. The far left just does not understand the need to protect American civilians from terrorist operations.
FORMAL CEREMONY
In the Senate section the confirmation of Justice Samuel Alito is covered. Toward the bottom of the article it is mentioned that he was sworn in on Tuesday, but that a formal event was held at the White House with President Bush on Wednesday. I was present a the formal event for Justice Alito in the East Room of the White House as was our Executive Director Peggy Birchfield. For more information on our participation in the swearing inn ceremony and reception at the White House please visit our sister organization's Internet site at www.rfaction.org. At that site you will find links to a photo gallery of our interaction with the Justices and other officials.
THE SENATE
SUPREME COURT JUSTICE ALITO
The outrageous filibuster called by the Massachusetts boys, Kennedy and Kerry failed on the evening of Monday, January 31st. The filibuster was led by the literal screams of Kennedy from the bench saying that Judge Alito had to be stopped from putting on a Supreme Court robe because he is "biased toward women." This was an odd statement from a man who has belonged to a private men's club for over fifty years, one that still does not allow women.
Senators Kennedy and Kerry embarrassed most other Democrat Senators but further endeared themselves to the extreme left. Senator Diane Feinstein made it clear, as did other Democrats, that the issue was ideology and not judicial competence. Democrats supporting the filibuster pointedly said that the only issue of concern for them was the right for women to murder unborn babies right up the moment of birth. They feared that on the Supreme Court, Judge Alito might side with the human child. Click here for a PDF of the closure vote record. How did your senator vote on continuing the filibuster against Judge Alito's confirmation?
On Tuesday morning the voting process began to confirm Samuel Alito as Supreme Court Associate Justice. It was Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) who cast the 51 vote for his confirmation. The final vote tally was 58 to 42. Judge Alito immediately went to the Supreme Court and was sworn in so that he would be able to attend the President's State of the Union Address that evening. A formal ceremony was held at the White House on Wednesday. The only Republican voting against Judge Alito's confirmation was Senator Chafee (RI-R). Senator Chafee is too liberal to be elected as a Democrat in Virginia. His is facing a primary challenge in November. Click here for final confirmation vote record.
THE HOUSE
THE LEADERSHIP BATTLE
On Thursday, February 2nd a huge celebration was held at the headquarters of Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform as "their man" Congressman Boehner (R-OH) defeated social conservative Roy Blunt (R-MO) for the position of Majority Leader to replace Tom DeLay (R-TX) who stepped down late last year. While Blunt had 110 of the 117 votes needed on the first round, in an orchestrated second round of voting Congressman Shadegg (R-AZ) withdrew handing off votes to Boehner causing the defeat of Blunt. When the Republicans took over the House in 1994 the entire leadership was solidly social conservative. Over the years, the Richard Nixon Republicans have managed to chip away at the Leadership positions. They honestly believe social conservatives are not needed in the party and that the old "Nixon Coalition" of fiscal conservatives and defense hawks can win elections. With their inroads into leadership I do not see any vigorous support of the Republicans in November coming from social conservatives, and I expect to see the Republicans lose some seats.
CONGRESSMAN TODD AKIN
On Thursday morning just before the House leadership vote I spent more than an hour in the office of Congressman Todd Akin discussing strategy for the Pledge Protection Act of 2005. In each new session of Congress a bill has to be reintroduced and go through the same process as the year before. In the 108th Congress, Judiciary Committee Chairman Sensenbrenner backed the bill and it was passed out of committee. In the 109th we must go though this process once again. More than half of the 109th has expired and we still have not cleared the Judiciary Committee this year. We also discussed the need to add co-sponsors and I assured the congressman that our petition program would get the tally over the 200 mark. Later that day I talked to a congressman who co-sponsored the Pledge Protection Act in the 108th and who has not signed on as yet in the 109th, and he agreed to come on board. We will continue to move forward using the petitions as a wedge. Please help by mailing a completed petition today to support the Pledge Protection Act of 2005. To view or print out copies of our petition click here. To order bumper stickers click here.
HOLLY'S LAW
RFC's Executive Director Peggy Birchfield participated in a news conference on Wednesday, urging Congress to move forward withHolly's Law (HR 1079) which would suspend FDA's fast-track approval of the human pesticide drug RU-486. Along with Congressman Roscoe Bartlett
(R-MD),Congressman Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists Dr. Donna Harrison and Dr. Margaret
Gary and more than a dozen pro-life organizations called attention tonew research and evidence exposing the unacceptable threat the drug RU-486 poses to women's lives and health. A drug which is given to induce abortion is nothing but poison, which naturally has potentially serious side effects, causing some women to die. Holly Patterson was a California teenager who became pregnant at the age of 17 and had barely turned 18 years old when she died in a hospital from toxic shock, just seven days after being given RU-486. Her parents did not even know she was pregnant until she was dying. The photo to the left pictures Congressman Bartlett, Dr. Gary, Dr. Harrison, Marjorie Dannefelser, Congressman Chris Smith, Peggy Birchfield, Wendy Wright, Janet Morana, Deirdre McQuade, and Kristen Day in support of the passage of Holly's Law. Many women who have been given the drug do not even know the potentially fatal side effects, so how many deaths does it take for FDA to suspend the drug?Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) has sponsored a companion bill in the Senate.