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Democrats Fail to Strike 'Special Interests' from Bill

Aired November 19, 2002 - 11:14   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The vote is in in the Senate on the homeland security bill, and what some people accused of having a lot of pork involved.
Let's go to our Jonathan Karl on Capitol Hill.

Jon, hello.

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, we've got news for you. Right now, the vote is still going on now on the floor. But this provision that would take out of the homeland security bill those added provisions the Democrats object to, but the Democratic effort has failed. The voting is still going on now on the floor, but already 52 senators have voted against the Democratic proposal to strip those provisions, those controversial provisions from the homeland security bill, and the reason why this happened is because the moderates, almost all of the moderates in both parties, voted with the Republicans. That includes, by the way, Dean Barkley, that independent senator from Minnesota; he voted with the Republicans after talking to the White House this morning and doing some bargaining of his own.

Also moderate Republicans Chaffee, Lincoln, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, all voted with the Republican leadership on this, and so did one very key and very interesting Democrat, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. There they are gaveling the vote -- let's listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ayes are 47. The nays are 52. The amendment is not agreed to.

KARL: There you have it. Only 47 votes for the Democrats, 52 with the Republicans. That key Democrat, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, voted against her party, sided with the Republicans on this, and the reason why she did that, is because she is the one person in the United States Senate that is still in an election. She is in a runoff election. On December 7th, Louisiana will vote on whether to send her back to Washington for another term, and she saw what was happening with many other Democrats in this election season, taking a lot of heat for being seen as against the president on the war against terrorism.

Mary Landrieu did not want to take that chance. She sided with the Republicans, even though her fellow Democrat, John Breaux of Louisiana, somebody who she usually is side by side with on virtually every issue voted yes on that amendment, voted with the Democrats. Mary Landrieu split ways with him, split ways with the Democratic leadership, and the Republicans have won a key victory. Now, what happens, Daryn, is we go through a series of procedural votes, and by the end of the day, we expect, although it could be tomorrow, we expect by the end of the day, you will have final passage of this homeland security bill, final passage that clears the way for this bill to be sent down to the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue to be signed by the president, and to create a Department of Homeland Defense, the largest reorganization of the federal government since the Department of Defense was created back in the 1940s.

So this is a significant vote, very significant day here in the United States Senate.

KAGAN: Jonathan Karl, with that breaking news on Capitol Hill. Jon, thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired November 19, 2002 - 11:14   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The vote is in in the Senate on the homeland security bill, and what some people accused of having a lot of pork involved.
Let's go to our Jonathan Karl on Capitol Hill.

Jon, hello.

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Daryn, we've got news for you. Right now, the vote is still going on now on the floor. But this provision that would take out of the homeland security bill those added provisions the Democrats object to, but the Democratic effort has failed. The voting is still going on now on the floor, but already 52 senators have voted against the Democratic proposal to strip those provisions, those controversial provisions from the homeland security bill, and the reason why this happened is because the moderates, almost all of the moderates in both parties, voted with the Republicans. That includes, by the way, Dean Barkley, that independent senator from Minnesota; he voted with the Republicans after talking to the White House this morning and doing some bargaining of his own.

Also moderate Republicans Chaffee, Lincoln, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, all voted with the Republican leadership on this, and so did one very key and very interesting Democrat, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. There they are gaveling the vote -- let's listen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ayes are 47. The nays are 52. The amendment is not agreed to.

KARL: There you have it. Only 47 votes for the Democrats, 52 with the Republicans. That key Democrat, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, voted against her party, sided with the Republicans on this, and the reason why she did that, is because she is the one person in the United States Senate that is still in an election. She is in a runoff election. On December 7th, Louisiana will vote on whether to send her back to Washington for another term, and she saw what was happening with many other Democrats in this election season, taking a lot of heat for being seen as against the president on the war against terrorism.

Mary Landrieu did not want to take that chance. She sided with the Republicans, even though her fellow Democrat, John Breaux of Louisiana, somebody who she usually is side by side with on virtually every issue voted yes on that amendment, voted with the Democrats. Mary Landrieu split ways with him, split ways with the Democratic leadership, and the Republicans have won a key victory. Now, what happens, Daryn, is we go through a series of procedural votes, and by the end of the day, we expect, although it could be tomorrow, we expect by the end of the day, you will have final passage of this homeland security bill, final passage that clears the way for this bill to be sent down to the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue to be signed by the president, and to create a Department of Homeland Defense, the largest reorganization of the federal government since the Department of Defense was created back in the 1940s.

So this is a significant vote, very significant day here in the United States Senate.

KAGAN: Jonathan Karl, with that breaking news on Capitol Hill. Jon, thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com