Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Senate Democrats Postpone Tax Vote with Amendments

Aired May 22, 2001 - 11:08   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 Senate is back at work today on the scaled back version of President Bush's tax cut plan. In a five hour marathon of votes last night, proponents of the bill were able to beat back attempts to expand, shrink or revise the tax cuts.

For the latest now we turn to CNN congressional correspondent Jonathan Karl on Capitol Hill. John, it seems like they were just trying to postpone the inevitable, which looks like it probably will take place today.

JONATHAN KARL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it looks that way but it's certainly far from certain. What's happening now on the Senate floor is Republicans are trying to do, in what could be almost seen as a mad dash to get this passed, are trying to do what they promised to do months ago, which was get final passage of a tax cut, which means this first vote in the Senate that will hopefully possibly happen today and final vote of the agreement between the House and the Senate on a tax cut sent to the president's desk by Memorial Day.

But Democrats are in no hurry to get this done. Republicans are accusing them of using delay tactics. And, in fact, Democrats have quite candidly talked to us off the record, saying they aren't, you know, privately saying that they are in no hurry to see this tax cut get to the president's desk. They don't want to see him have a big Memorial Day tax cut signing, keeping a promise. They are looking to go as long as they can on this.

Last night at about midnight, they were in that five hour voting session you talked about when Senator Robert Byrd got up and pleaded to close the Senate and allow everybody to go home and come back today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ROBERT BYRD (D), WEST VIRGINIA: There's no reason why we have to pass this bill tonight and why we have to stay here till midnight or one or two o'clock in the morning to pass this bill. To begin with, it's a bad bill.

UNIDENTIFIED SENATOR: Mr. President...

BYRD: It ought not pass.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KARL: Quite a scene there last night on the Senate floor, about 98 of the senators down there going through this series, endless series of vote after vote after vote until finally the Democrats really put the, a monkey wrench into the gears of the Senate, calling for procedural efforts to delay the next vote and finally Trent Lott relented, agreed to close the Senate down last night. But he said that he pleaded with Democrats to allow a vote to happen today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRENT LOTT (R-MS), MAJORITY LEADER: I believe that Senator Daschle intends to work with me and the managers of the legislation to try to find a way to bring this to a reasonable conclusion. But I emphasize again, we have work we need to do this week and if we have to go on into Friday or Saturday, I think we should be prepared to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KARL: So Republicans are hoping they will get a vote here in the Senate on the tax bill, but again, it doesn't end there. The Senate still needs to work with the House, which has already passed a tax cut that is much closer to what the president originally wanted. They need to work out the differences between the House and the Senate tax bills and then once again come to the floor of the Senate for final passage of a tax cut that can be sent to the president.

They're hoping to have that all done by the end of the week. You heard Trent Lott even talk about going until Saturday. Now, this is the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, one of the most important weekends in politics. So that's a major threat to threaten to keep all the Senate here in Washington, when many of them all have events back in their home states, important political events. But he's saying look, if the Democrats want to delay, Republicans will go all the way right through the Memorial Day weekend.

So that's where it stands right now, still trying to get a vote here in the Senate today -- Daryn?

KAGAN: Jonathan, even with the delay, this, I mean it might be a delay of a matter of days or a week, are heads still spinning on Capitol Hill at the speed at which the president was able to get this through Congress?

KARL: Well, when the president and Republicans up here talked, first started talking a couple months ago about having a tax cut passed by Memorial Day, the idea was really dismissed. I mean that is pretty much warp speed when it comes to how Congress normally acts. So they clearly are surprised at how quickly they have done.

And also, Democrats are succeeding now in delaying what is, like you said, the inevitable. I mean last night Republicans were able to beat back every single Democratic effort to water down this tax cut. There's been amazing unity on the Republican side on keeping this tax cut to a $1.35 trillion tax cut over 11 years that significantly cuts income tax rates. This is something Democrats have adamantly opposed, except for a handful of moderate Democrats that have been supporting the Republicans in this effort.

KAGAN: Jonathan Karl watching all the action on Capitol Hill, thank you.

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