Republicans poring over a 1,924-page overarching spending bill proposed by Democrats to cover the rest of the fiscal year are threatening to grind the legislation to a halt, citing hidden earmarks and massive spending that would be enacted into law without a review process.You mean they're actually reading it?
Two sources who spoke to Fox News are describing the legislation as "a total mess."
Devolving into pandemonium, a source said "all hell is breaking loose" ahead of a Republican policy lunch in which Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Jim DeMint of South Carolina were expected to insist the omnibus bill be read in its entirety by the clerk on the Senate floor before a vote is held.
Oh, yeah ...
They also were expected to seek debate on all earmarks and any amendments. According to one source, Republican anger is aimed at the fact that earmarks are buried and word searches are so tough it's hard to dig out the details.
I'm sure a careful, slow read on the Senate floor will figure that out ...
On top of that, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., also is revolting against the Democratic-sponsored bill, saying she will not support an omnibus spending bill unless it includes an amendment proposed by McCaskill and Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., that calls for a three-year cap in discretionary spending.
The issue, of course, is where you set the cap, but it does seem that Claire is getting religion, or more likely, a strong Pub challenge in '12 ...
Democratic leaders told McCaskill on Monday that they would meet a one-year gap, which she rejected, according to sources familiar with the conversations.
The tea party lives!