Yesterday's Leftovers For 3/10/10: How An Amendment That Helps Needy Families Failed In The Senate
An amendment with undeserved little attention that failed to be placed into the Tax Extenders bill (which has the cloture label now and looks set to pass) yesterday is the Temporary Assistance For Nerdy's Emergency Fund. The amendment, submitted and proposed by Washington Dem Senator Patty Murray, was co-sponsored by the likes of Harkin, Boxer, Begich, Burris, Levin, Dodd, Gillibrand, Kerry, Schumer, Wyden, and Casey. It's purpose was to extend those invaluable items to families who definitely need them as well as help offer jobs to the youth during summertime. Now with the filibuster in tact, this amendment always was going to have difficulty getting passed into the final bill (especially with everyone present in the Senate actually yesterday). And it did fail by a 55-45 vote. But four Democrats had to somehow joined the 41 Republicans in voting against this very important and underrated emergency fund. Not a surprise that among those four include Ben Nelson. But w...