House Dems seek to delay vote on spending bill

Democrats are threatening a revolt if Republicans try to bring the omnibus spending bill to the House floor before Democrats have had time to examine it.

"If they vote [today], they'd better be prepared to vote with 100 percent Republican votes," House Appropriations ranking member David Obey, D-Wis., told reporters.

House Republican leaders have said they would like to vote on the bill today, although House Appropriations Chairman Bob Livingston, R-La., said that logistically, the vote may be delayed until Saturday. House Majority Leader Armey told reporters to expect a vote, "realistically, [Friday] evening," although several GOP leadership aides indicated the vote may not occur until the wee hours of Saturday morning. Said one source, "I think any time tomorrow will be considered a success."

Obey said Democrats will not vote for massive bill without having time to read it. "We still don't have the language for dozens and dozens of things," he said. "There will not be a single Democratic signature on the conference report if we don't know what's in it," he said.

But a GOP leadership aide said the package could go to the floor even if none of the Democratic conferees sign off, because it only takes a simple majority of conferees to call up a conference report for a vote.

House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, told CongressDaily: "We are approaching this as if we have to carry it ourselves," and predicted "an overwhelming vote in our conference" with "maybe a few" dissatisfied conservative defectors. DeLay said, "Frankly, I think a large number of Democrats" will vote for the omnibus bill.

Obey suggested the House go home for the weekend, with members returning Monday. He said appropriators are the ones under the gun for delivering the bill. "We are the guys who have to pick up the pieces and make sure that the announcement is not a joke," Obey said.

Asked about Obey's comments, House Republican Conference Chairman John Boehner of Ohio said, "I think it's clear they've been dragging this process out for days and want to continue dragging it out" and "I do think that [tonight] this will be voted on and we'll be out of here."

Another GOP leadership aide boiled it down to this: "Everybody wants to go home."

In the Senate, it remained unclear late Thursday whether a roll call vote would be necessary on the spending bill.