Reconciliation of The Past

You know how the Democrats keep saying that reconciliation was used twice before by Republicans? It was used for Welfare reform and for the Bush tax cuts. They make it seem as though the Republicans rammed it through using the 50+1 vote like the President is trying to do now with health care.

So I went back and looked at the votes in these two cases. In 1996, the Welfare and Medicaid Reform Act of 1996 (HR 3734, Vote 232) was passed in the Senate using reconciliation by a 74 to 24 vote with 23 Democrats voting for the bill. This was a bi-partisan vote.

In 2001, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (HR 1836, Vote 156) was passed in the Senate using reconciliation by a 62 to 38 vote with 12 Democrats voting for the bill. This also was a bi-partisan vote. Included on the Democrat side were Dianne Feinstein, Max Baucus, Mary Landrieu, Blanche Lincoln and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

So this reconciliation claim by the Obama Administration is nothing but a red herring. They are going to use reconciliation for a partisan vote, not a bi-partisan vote.

Welfare and Medicaid Reform Act of 1996 (HR 3734)
Passed Using Reconciliation - 74 to 24

Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (HR 1836)
Passed Using Reconciliation - 62 to 38