Jolt
Afternoon Jolt: Tunnel Gets the Nod; Bipartisanship in DC Gets the Slip
Today's winner: The tunnel.
A proxy vote on the proposed downtown deep-bore tunnel (Referendum 1) got the prestigious endorsement today of the Seattle/King County Municipal League, which called the vote "an unnecessary and costly stalling tactic" that will circumvent the "compromise solution arrived at after a decade of planning, community process and environmental study."
Today's Loser: Bipartisanship
In the 269-161 vote to raise the debt ceiling today, 66 Republicans and 95 Democrats voted 'No'. The deal, supposedly a show of bipartisanship, is all cuts and no revenue—a major loss for Democrats. The deal also mandates more cuts.
Specifically: The deal calls for $2.1 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years, and establishes an evenly split, bipartisan congressional committee to recommend a deficit-reduction proposal by Thanksgiving. If the committee fails to come up with something, Congress must approve a balanced budget amendment or mandate cuts to Medicare and the Pentagon.
Here's how the Washington State delegation voted:
A proxy vote on the proposed downtown deep-bore tunnel (Referendum 1) got the prestigious endorsement today of the Seattle/King County Municipal League, which called the vote "an unnecessary and costly stalling tactic" that will circumvent the "compromise solution arrived at after a decade of planning, community process and environmental study."
Today's Loser: Bipartisanship
In the 269-161 vote to raise the debt ceiling today, 66 Republicans and 95 Democrats voted 'No'. The deal, supposedly a show of bipartisanship, is all cuts and no revenue—a major loss for Democrats. The deal also mandates more cuts.
Specifically: The deal calls for $2.1 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years, and establishes an evenly split, bipartisan congressional committee to recommend a deficit-reduction proposal by Thanksgiving. If the committee fails to come up with something, Congress must approve a balanced budget amendment or mandate cuts to Medicare and the Pentagon.
Here's how the Washington State delegation voted:
Democrats — Dicks, Y; Inslee, Y; Larsen, Y; McDermott, N; Smith, N.
Republicans — Hastings, Y; Herrera Beutler, Y; McMorris Rodgers, Y; Reichert, Y.
