Flood insurance bill stalled over…abortion?
(CNN) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is lambasting Republican Sen. Rand Paul for injecting a last-minute debate over abortion into a bipartisan attempt to pass flood insurance legislation.
"After all the work that's been put on this bill, this is ridiculous that somebody said 'I'm not going to let this bill go forward unless I have a vote on when life begins.'" Reid said Tuesday on the Senate floor.
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On Monday, Paul introduced the amendment, which calls for defining life as beginning at conception. The bill at large would re-authorize the National Flood Insurance Program, a federal entity that offers flood insurance to more than 5 million homes.
Paul's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on why he proposed the amendment.
While the bill was set to soon pass with bipartisan approval, Reid said he will no longer allow a vote on the measure as long as the amendment stands.
"We'll either do flood insurance with amendments dealing with flood insurance-or we won't do it," Reid said. "We'll have an extension."
It's not uncommon for lawmakers to tack on non-relevant amendments to bills, but the highly-charged amendment Paul chose was one step too far, Reid said. And given that some of the bill's biggest proponents are Republicans, Paul may face pressure to back down on the amendment.
"They better work on their side of the aisle, because I'm not going to put up with that on flood insurance," Reid said.
He also pointed to a controversial amendment for the so-called highway bill in February. The provision called for a repeal of a federal mandate that required some religious institutions to cover contraception in insurance plans for employees.
After weeks of escalating debate over contraception, the Obama administration adjusted the mandate, and the Senate amendment was killed in March.
"I don't understand what this is all about," Reid said.
- CNN Senior Congressional Producer Ted Barrett contributed to this report.
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Rand Paul makes his dad look sane.
Why, of course the connection between Flood insurance and abortion is obvious! Can't the rest of the population see what Senator Aqua-Budda sees? He's superhuman, you know.
A mad man SEnator Paul is. What is the obsession with control of women's bodies that these Republican have. I just don't get it. Flood insurance being held up by this? Seriously, it is sad....... Just really sad. Vote them out!
I am from Kentucky and this man is NUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Jobs, jobs, jobs."–Mitch McConnell & John Boehner, upon the Repub. victories in 2010.
"I don't understand what this is all about," Reid said. It's about the right-wing, extremist, teapublicans trying to force their narrow-minded views on everyone. They make the Taliban look like moderates.
Rand paul is an ignorant fool repub. What does abortion have to do with a flood bill.
Here come the hateful Christians. Christians spew venom and hate. They also lie about who they really are. Rand for example ran on lowering taxes and now is fighting the Christian culture war. Ralph Reed called it "stealth candidacy."
Please enlighten us, you fans of the GOP. Surely even the most rabid of you sees the insanity of this. The fact that Senate rules allow this nonsense is just Exhibit A of why the Senate is so dysfunctional.
Rand lied about his real hateful Christian objectives. He ran on lowering taxes and now fighting the Christian culture war.
This is exactly why Republicans, as a whole, need to be voted out of office this fall.
This is why nothing gets done in DC> Every bill proposed by the Grand Obstructionist Party is laded with riders – on abortion, increases in defense spending, etc... the complete opposite of what they publicly endorse.
Then of course, it's Obama and the Dem's fault that they block legislation. Typical Repug dirty pool !
Perhaps they should try doing the job we sent them there to do! Govern the country, not play politics !!
Same old crap from the Tea Party Taliban. Paul is just another useless radical working hard to destroy all progress in the Congress. This weasel actually gets less work done than his crazy father.
I'm assuming that Paul subscribes to the "any publicity is good publicity" idea. ...or is he really this asinine?
Isn't this clown all about keeping government out of people's lives to the point he thought the Civil Rights law was an unnecessary intrusion? Just another hypocrite on the right.
Rand need to be voted out with his other republican friends.
Typical Repugnant. They have abosolutely nothing to offer the country other than Gun Laws and Religous ideology.
Don't you find it a little ironic that the most contentious leader the Senate has had in years is trashing someone else for disrupting lesgislation. Reids answer every time something comes from the House is I will never let that come to the floor for a vote. The man has not even submitted a budget in over 1000 days which is his legal responsability. If Rand is annoying him -great I know where to send my next check.
We need another amendment to this bill. One that says you have to quit your job as a Senator if you introduce and amendment to a totally non-relavant bill that is this stupid. I'm sorry all you people from Kentucky, but I have to say it, he is from Kentucky. Next thing you know he'll be attaching an amendment to say the earth is really flat and the sun revolves around him.
Why not Abortions and a Nuclear Proliferation Bill ?
Rand Paul is Nut's !
'Aqua Buddha'
Typical..Blame the other party for your own parties wacko moves, Reid was going to hold a vote on the flood bill put up by Repubs and Rand screws over his own party, and you blame Reid and praise Rand, grow up.
What exactly do republicans have against a clean bill. They intentionally add garbage to bills to hold them up. Guess what guys – we are on to what you're doing. What a sorry lot of losers.
This is not mistake. Rand is just doing what he is told to do by the Repubs playbook. It's written in the script by Mitch. The Repubs are doing nothing for this country but obstructing lives. They really don't care, especially Rand.
I guess they are doing the same thing Obama is doing to Arizona. Since I did not get what I want I will not do my job. Its just politics and not to be taken seriously. On a positive note divided government slows down spending as it locks everything up.
Rand Paul is not annoying Sen Reid, he is annoying me and millions of Americans. He knows that as a stand alone bill, what he is presenting would never pass in the Senate. And what ihe is trying to do is force his personal religious beliefs on me and the rest of the country. Rand Paul is a flat earther. A silly little man.