elevated from the diaries by DemFromCT. Watch this if you can. Ted Stevens has just apologized to the entire Senate and pulled the IRS provision that Stevens said was 'slipped into the bill' by 'some staffer'. The provision apparantly allowed certain Chairs of Senate committees to have access to anyone's IRS data (like the Texas DA going after DeLay). Harken wants to know who the staffer is. Watch the show live. McCain was livid. So was Grassley, both (R).
Sen. Conrad from ND just called the GOP out on this budget bill. Apparently they stuck a provision that removes any expectations of privacy regarding our tax returns in the middle of this 3000 page bill in the middle of the night. They didn't tell the Dems. But they caught them. This is amazing to watch - they're going OFF.
This tactic is NOT new, but getting caught and having Dems throw fits IS.
[editor's note, by kd4dean]I changed title so people would know what it's about. Plus I found this on the Weldon Amendment -
http://www.latinainstitute.org/policy.html
Weldon Amendment
One particularly harmful amendment to the proposed Labor-HHS Appropriations bill in the House of Representatives is the Weldon Amendment. This provision would allow healthcare entities to refuse to provide abortion services, counsel women about abortion, pay for abortions for low-income women, and refer women to healthcare professionals who provide abortion services. States that refuse to comply with this Amendment risk losing federal funding for health, labor and education programs. Latinas, along with all women, risk losing essential reproductive health services if this Amendment passes.