Follow BeltwayBlips on Twitter
Bargaining Chip
Talking Points Memo —
... Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), ranking member of the Senate's oversight committee, no less, kills a whistleblower protection provision in the stimulus bill. ...
Source: Collins Strips Stim Bill Of Whistleblower Protections
Democratic Underground Latest Breaking News —
... that the protections remained. But, according to a person following the bill closely, Collins used today's conference committee to drastically water down the measure, citing national security concerns as the reason for her opposition. In the end, the protections were so weakened that House negotiators balked, and the result was that the entire amendment was removed. According to the person following the bill, Collins was the "central roadblock" to passing the protections. Read more: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/02/sourc...
Out of Sight
Talking Points Memo —
... A little nugget beneath the fanfare. Few people had more power in the Stimulus Bill negotiations than Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). And she apparently used a lot of that juice on Wednesday to get a key whistleblower protection provision stripped from the bill. That's a key provision to help prevent waste and fraud. And, remember, Collins is the ranking member of the main senate investigations and oversight committee. ...
How Convenient
Hit & Run —
... Zachary Roth at Talking Points Memo blames Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) for watering down the amendment in conference until it was eventually abandoned altogether. She apparently objected to the protection of whistleblowers who divulge classified information, though that language could easily have been removed. ...
Convenient, Isn’t It?
The Agitator —
... Zachary Roth at Talking Points Memo blames Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) for watering down the amendment in conference until it was eventually abandoned altogether. She apparently objected to the protection of whistleblowers who divulge classified information, though that language could easily have been removed. ...
Susan Collins: I Stand With Crazy Pete the Twit-Leaker in Opposing Intelligence Whistleblowers
Firedoglake —
... It seems that Susan Collins has the same misplaced priorities. She single-handedly axed the House-backed provision to include whistleblower protection in the stimulus package--and with it, prevented a key means of making sure taxpayer funds were spent wisely. ...
Susan Collins Stripped Whistleblower Protection from Stimulus Bill So GOP Can Blame Dems Later
Crooks and Liars —
(I totally stole this from The General...)
Via TPMMuckraker: Gotta love those "centrists"!
Sen. Susan Collins, the Maine GOP dealmaker who's been in the limelight this week for helping to pass a watered down stimulus, has been talking a good game about the need to avoid wasting taxpayer money. But it looks like Collins also worked today to strip from the final bill a measure that's crucial to exposing that waste.
Here's what happened:
The House stimulus bill contained a provision designed to protect federal ...
Domenici Subpoenaed In US Attorneys Probe
The Hollywood Liberal —
Domenici Subpoenaed In US Attorneys Probe Last week, TPMmuckraker reported that the investigation by prosecutor Nora Dannehy into the US Attorney firings was focusing on Pete Domenici. And today, the Washington Post reports that Dannehy has issued a subpoena to the former New Mexico Republican senator…. [image] [image] “The Majority’s Waterloo On Ethics”? Taking Stock Of the PMA Lobbying Probe Earlier this week, Keith Ashdown of the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense, told The Hill that one troubled lobbying firm with ties to some Democratic lawmakers, “will become the majority’s Waterloo on ethics.” Ashdown added: “If they do not… [image] [image] Source: ...
The Essential Oversight
Firedoglake —
... Oh, no, wait. They did. And then Susan Collins, the ranking Republican on the Senate Oversight Committee, held the stimulus package hostage until it came right back out. ...
