Legal Commentary

"Moderates" Cut Spending On Pandemic Flu Preparedness

By Big Tent Democrat

High Broderism works its "magic:"

Famously, Maine Senator Collins, the supposedly moderate Republican who demanded cuts in health care spending in exchange for her support of a watered-down version of the stimulus, fumed about the pandemic funding: "Does it belong in this bill? Should we have $870 million in this bill No, we should not."

The Republicans essentially succeeded. The Senate version of the stimulus plan included no money whatsoever for pandemic preparedness. In the conference committee that reconciled the House and Senate plans, Obey and his allies succeeded in securing $50 million for improving information systems at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). But state and local governments, and the emergency services that would necessarily be on the frontlines in any effort to contain a pandemic, got nothing.

When policy does not matter, when High Broderism reigns supreme, this is the result.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on April 27, 2009 (boomark / email).