Since noon, the Senate has been voting on budget amendment after budget amendment as part of the budget "vote-a-rama."
All of these amendments are non-binding, so they mean nothing in terms of concrete policy changes. Accordingly, many amendments are designed in order for senators to get themselves on record voting for something and their opponents against it. A well-written budget amendment would, in this partisan sense, get a party-line vote.
Many of them have been almost party line votes.
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)'s amendment closing tax loopholes that encourage corporations to outsource jobs received a party line vote. As did Al Franken (D-MN)'s amendment to restore Pell Grant funding. As did Dick Durbin (D-IL)'s amendment to provide tax incentives for companies that create jobs at home and close loopholes that help those that ship jobs overseas.
And some were just about party line. Ron Wyden (D-OR)'s amendment to strike the cuts in Medicaid funding received a 47-53 vote, with only Susan Collins (R-ME) breaking party line to join the Democrats. And Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)'s amendment to provide resources to support two free years at community college by increasing taxes on millionaires and billionaires received a 45-55 vote, with only Joe Manchin (D-WV) breaking party line to join Republicans in voting against it.
However, two Democrats amendments--the latter more than the former--became a lost opportunity for showing as sharp a contrast as possible because they were drafted too loosely.
Minimum Wage
Bernie Sanders (I-VT) offered an amendment calling for an increase in the minimum wage without specifying what that increase would be:
The Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the Senate may revise the allocations of a committee or committees, aggregates, and other appropriate levels in this resolution for one or more bills, joint resolutions, amendments, amendments between the Houses, motions, or conference reports relating to labor reform, which may include a substantial increase in the minimum wage by the amounts provided in such legislation for those purposes, provided that such legislation would not increase the deficit over either the period of the total of fiscal years 2016 through 2020 or the period of the total of fiscal years 2016 through 2025.
The amendment failed, with a vote of
48 to 52.
Two Republicans--Susan Collins (R-ME) and Rob Portman (R-OH)--joined Democrats in voting for it.
Given that the Democrats have introduced and voted on legislation in the past for an increase in the minimum wage to $10.10 (in a series of tranches), they should have specified the amount. I'd love it to be higher than $10.10, but $10.10 would get a full caucus vote and would not have enabled Collins and Portman to get a show vote under their belts.
Paid Sick Leave
But the more irritating example of a loosely drafted amendment came from Patty Murray (D-WA) and her paid sick leave amendment.
One and a half months ago, Patty Murray (D-WA), along with 20 co-sponsors, re-introduced the Healthy Families Act, a bill that would allow workers to earn paid sick leave to use when they are sick, to care for a sick family member, to obtain preventive care, or to address the impacts of domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault.
Rather than offering her bill as an amendment, she offered this:
The Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the Senate may revise the allocations of a committee or committees, aggregates, and other appropriate levels in this resolution for one or more bills, joint resolutions, amendments, amendments between the Houses, motions, or conference reports relating to efforts to improve workplace benefits and reduce health care costs, which may include measures to allow Americans to earn paid sick time to address their own health needs and the health needs of their families, and to promote equal employment opportunities, by the amounts provided in such legislation for those purposes, provided that such legislation would not increase the deficit over either the period of the total of fiscal years 2016 through 2020 or the period of the total of fiscal years 2016 through 2025.
Her amendment passed
61 to 39.
15 Republicans voted for it:
Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)
Richard Burr (R-NC)
Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
Susan Collins (R-ME)
Bob Corker (R-TN)
John Hoeven (R-ND)
Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Ron Johnson (R-WI)
Mark Kirk (R-IL)
John McCain (R-AZ)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Rob Portman (R-OH)
John Thune (R-SD)
Pat Toomey (R-PA)
11 of these 15 are up for re-election next year, many in seats that could be competitive.
Would any of them have voted for the Healthy Families Act? Of course not. Do any of them actually support any concrete paid sick leave legislation? Of course not. But by writing an amendment that amounted to little more than "paid sick leave is good," Patty Murray gave them an opportunity to pretend to support it and to feign concern for the welfare of working people without ruffling the feathers of their donors.