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13
Jul
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by Buck
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Remember this headline from last Tuesday?..
U.S. Senate panel moves to cut off funding for Cheney in flap with Dems over executive order
A Senate appropriations panel chaired by Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin refused to fund $4.8 million in the vice president’s budget until Cheney’s office complies with parts of an executive order governing its handling of classified information.
Nebraskan Democrat, Ben Nelson, decided today to pull a “one-eighty”…
In the Senate Appropriations Committee, the panel approved an amendment by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., to strike language in the Financial Services Appropriations bill that would have barred funding for Cheney’s office until he complies with an executive order Democrats argue compels him to provide information on classified data.
The vote was 15-14 after Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., switched his position from earlier in the week and backed Brownback after a letter from White House Counsel Fred Fielding Thursday clarified the administration’s position.
Brownback said that cutting off the vice president’s funding might set a precedent for cutting off Supreme Court funds when they made a decision lawmakers oppose.
“There is a separation of powers that has served us well, and this is a line we should not cross,” Brownback said.
(Peter Cohn, CongressDaily)
Full article, including today’s big win for the National Rifle Association, can be found at GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE
