82Marine89
01-28-2010, 02:47 PM
WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats needed all the 60 votes at their disposal Thursday to muscle through legislation allowing the government to go $1.9 trillion deeper in debt.
Democratic leaders were able to prevail on the politically volatile 60-39 vote only because Republican Sen.-elect Scott Brown of Massachusetts has yet to be seated. Republicans had insisted on a 60-vote, super-majority threshhold to pass the measure. An earlier test vote succeeded on a 60-40 vote.
The measure would would put the government on track for a national debt of $14.3 trillion — about $45,000 for every American — and it served as a vivid reminder of the United States' dire fiscal straits.
The massive increase in the debt limit would allow majority Democrats to avoid another vote until after the midterm elections this fall. New estimates released by the Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday show that the U.S. this year could run a deficit matching last year's record $1.4 trillion shortfall.
Read more here... (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100128/ap_on_bi_ge/us_senate_debt_limit;_ylt=AgA1wlP60BHRjq4iukq_klAS q594;_ylu=X3oDMTM5amQwZG05BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMTI4 L3VzX3NlbmF0ZV9kZWJ0X2xpbWl0BGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bG FyBGNwb3MDNARwb3MDNARzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xr A3NlbmF0ZXBlcm1pdA--)
Democratic leaders were able to prevail on the politically volatile 60-39 vote only because Republican Sen.-elect Scott Brown of Massachusetts has yet to be seated. Republicans had insisted on a 60-vote, super-majority threshhold to pass the measure. An earlier test vote succeeded on a 60-40 vote.
The measure would would put the government on track for a national debt of $14.3 trillion — about $45,000 for every American — and it served as a vivid reminder of the United States' dire fiscal straits.
The massive increase in the debt limit would allow majority Democrats to avoid another vote until after the midterm elections this fall. New estimates released by the Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday show that the U.S. this year could run a deficit matching last year's record $1.4 trillion shortfall.
Read more here... (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100128/ap_on_bi_ge/us_senate_debt_limit;_ylt=AgA1wlP60BHRjq4iukq_klAS q594;_ylu=X3oDMTM5amQwZG05BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMTI4 L3VzX3NlbmF0ZV9kZWJ0X2xpbWl0BGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bG FyBGNwb3MDNARwb3MDNARzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMEc2xr A3NlbmF0ZXBlcm1pdA--)