Just as House Republicans did, GOP Senators are now pretending they'll vote for the economic recovery package if only those unreasonable Democrats would toss them a bone or two. For the most part, they are lying. They will kick and scream for every concession possible, creating a new faux outrage every few hours. Foolishly, Democrats will likely cave to some of these demands. Then, Republicans will vote against the bill overwhelmingly. It is difficult to imagine anything more sinister than this. They are essentially weakening the bill as much as possible, making it less likely to work. Then they'll bail at the last second, in case it does fail, so they can point their fingers and assign all of the blame to Democrats.
Senator | Statement | Likely Vote | Contact |
Alexander, Lamar - (R - TN) | "Third, we should not spend this kind of money on many of these programs. We should not borrow this money when each family already owes over a half a million dollars." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-4944 |
Barrasso, John - (R - WY) | | | (202) 224-6441 |
Bennett, Robert F. - (R - UT) | "I am going to vote against this package because it’s not going to work." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-5444 |
Bond, Christopher S. - (R - MO) | Unfortunately, this Democratic bill falls short of those goals and does much more to grow the debt and grow government, than to grow the economy." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-5721 |
Brownback, Sam - (R - KS) | "Will only lead to inefficient and wasteful spending." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-6521 |
Bunning, Jim - (R - KY) | "This is not a stimulus package, but a massive government spending bill that my grandchildren and great grandchildren will have to pay for." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-4343 |
Burr, Richard - (R - NC) | "If the bill the Democrats have proposed in the Senate does not change drastically, then I will not be able to support it." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-3154 |
Chambliss, Saxby - (R - GA) | "Unless they raise the tax credits from about 35 percent of the package to somewhere around [the] 45 percent or 50 percent range, I doubt you’ll see many Republican senators voting for it." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-3521 |
Coburn, Tom - (R - OK) | "This is about spending money we don't have for things we don't need." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-5754 |
Cochran, Thad - (R - MS) | "Remains wary of the size of the bill and the breadth of the spending," spokeswoman Margaret McPhillips said. | Against Recovery | (202) 224-5054 |
Collins, Susan M. - (R - ME) | "President Obama made an impressive presentation. What I appreciate most is his willingness to engage in discussion, to answer many questions, and to respond to concerns about his stimulus plan." | For Recovery | (202) 224-2523 |
Corker, Bob - (R - TN) | "I know that what they’re proposing today, I just know it with every cell of my body, is not the right direction." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-3344 |
Cornyn, John - (R - TX) | "As the bill exists now, I can't support it. | Against Recovery | (202) 224-2934 |
Crapo, Mike - (R - ID) | "We can not rely on massive new government spending to return us to prosperity." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-6142 |
DeMint, Jim - (R - SC) | "I think now we have a real possibility to stop this." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-6121 |
Ensign, John - (R - NV) | "I think it's important that we try to change the bill as much as we can." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-6244 |
Enzi, Michael B. - (R - WY) | "Nothing in life is free. The government plans to spend $825 billion dollars it doesn’t have by squeezing it out of taxpayers and our grandchildren." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-3424 |
Graham, Lindsey - (R - SC) | "It's becoming an easier 'no' vote for all us." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-5972 |
Grassley, Chuck - (R - IA) | Confirmed that the bill needs 60 votes to pass. | Against Recovery | (202) 224-3744 |
Gregg, Judd - (R - NH) | "I’d like to be able to vote for it," he said. But politics aside, he added, "If it’s not done right, I won’t." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-3324 |
Hatch, Orrin G. - (R - UT) | "They've used this -- they are using this to just pay off all of their special interests. They're going to put billions of dollars into groups like ACORN. | Against Recovery | (202) 224-5251 |
Hutchison, Kay Bailey - (R - TX) | "In its current form, I will not vote for it, and I don't know if every single Republican is committed yet, but if so, it would be only one or two." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-5922 |
Inhofe, James M. - (R - OK) | Asked if he would participate in a filibuster: "I would be a part of it." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-4721 |
Isakson, Johnny - (R - GA) | "We keep throwing money at the symptoms of the problem and not at the heart of the cause of the problem." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-3643 |
Johanns, Mike - (R - NE) | | | (202) 224-4224 |
Kyl, Jon - (R - AZ) | "Whatever we can do, whether offering amendments, whether voting against the bill because it could not be amended, or whatever parliamentary possibilities are in front of us we will explore because this isn’t about playing the game." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-4521 |
Lugar, Richard G. - (R - IN) | | | (202) 224-4814 |
Martinez, Mel - (R - FL) | Apparently undecided. | | (202) 224-3041 |
McCain, John - (R - AZ) | "A lot of the things included in this bill in the house are policies that the democrats have tried unsuccessfully for years to implement that have nothing to do with stimulating the economy, and then there are other provisions that simply are a waste of money." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-2235 |
McConnell, Mitch - (R - KY) | "Doesn’t meet the standard for bipartisan cooperation set by President Obama." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-2541 |
Murkowski, Lisa - (R - AK) | "At this point, I believe we are rushing headlong to a solution without enough information to know whether it will work." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-4944 |
Risch, James E. - (R - ID) | Apparently will not support. | Against Recovery | (202) 224-2752 |
Roberts, Pat - (R - KS) | "What it really does is create 600,000 government jobs, growing the size of the government, adding to the deficit and the burden we place on our children and grandchildren. And for what? To fulfill the Democrats wish list. To spend." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-4774 |
Sessions, Jeff - (R - AL) | "This kind of package, at this size and this scope, is just unthinkable for us at this time" | Against Recovery | (202) 224-4124 |
Shelby, Richard C. - (R - AL) | "It seems plain to me that this bill is not the answer." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-5744 |
Snowe, Olympia J. - (R - ME) | "A second stimulus package, must first and foremost, strengthen the social safety net to better protect Americans at risk and replenish the jobs we have lost by creating new ones for both the short and long-term. We must simply begin to restore confidence among the American people in the future of our economy." | For Recovery | (202) 224-5344 |
Specter, Arlen - (R - PA) | | | (202) 224-4254 |
Thune, John - (R - SD) | "Called it the "largest intergenerational transfer of debt" in history. | Against Recovery | (202) 224-2321 |
Vitter, David - (R - LA) | "It's just a long list of spending items. Not a real economic stimulus job creation bill." | Against Recovery | (202) 224-4623 |
Voinovich, George V. - (R - OH) | Voted no on spending portion in Appropriations CMTE (1/27). A Voinovich aide said the senator is not going to vote to spend hundreds of billions without getting a chance to look more closely at the bill. | Against Recovery | (202) 224-3353 |
Wicker, Roger F. - (R - MS) | "A trillion dollars is a terrible thing to waste" | Against Recovery | (202) 224-6253 |
President Obama and Democrats in Congress have a responsibility to push through the strongest bill possible. Caving to unreasonable Republican demands at the last minute - in a hapless attempt to pick up votes that can't be picked up - is counterproductive and irresponsible. I really hope they have enough political courage to cut those who don't negotiate in good faith out of the discussions, and advance the strongest bill possible. We're told elections have consequences. It is time for Democrats to prove that they understand this.