Reply #24: Senate imposes budget cuts - barely - that trim Medicaid and student loans

[Thom Little]

Kicking off a marathon day of key votes and procedural jousting, the Senate Wednesday passed a $39.7 billion budget cuts package. Vice President Cheney, rushing back from an overseas trip, cast his vote to break the 50-50 tie.

But Democrats, citing violations of Senate rules, also succeeded in forcing changes in the bill that now send it back to the House for final consideration, expected early next year.

If it clears the House, the bill would mark the first cut in the growth of mandatory spending in programs such as Medicare and Medicaid since 1997, including $6.4 billion shaved from Medicare and $4.7 billion from Medicaid over the next five years. Overall, the bill cuts spending by less than 0.5 percent.

.......

Five GOP moderates - Sens. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, Mike DeWine of Ohio, and Gordon Smith of Oregon - voted with Democrats against the bill.



http://csmonitor.com/2005/1222/p11s01-uspo.html