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March 21, 2013
Senate Democrats Vote To Keep White House Tours Closed
Senate Dems Vote To Keep White House Tours Closed
Senators voted Wednesday to keep the White House closed to public tours, turning back a GOP-led effort to free up money to open the building back up after the sequesters.
The vote was just one of a series of high-profile votes the Senate was taking Wednesday afternoon as it plowed toward passage of a bill to fund the government through the rest of this fiscal year.
President Obama canceled the tours earlier this month as one of the casualties of the budget sequesters, setting off a chorus of complaints from Congress and the public.
Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, offered an amendment to free up $8 million money to keep both the White House and several national parks open on their regular schedules. He proposed reclaiming money from national heritage areas elsewhere in the National Park Service budget.
But Democrats objected, saying it was a show vote that was note going to accomplish what Mr. Coburn said it would. They also said canceling park service heritage money would hurt their home states.
They defeated Mr. Coburn’s amendment on a 54-45 vote, with nearly every Republican voting to reopen the White House and with almost all Democrats voting to back Mr. Obama’s decision.
Wild Thing's comment..................
This closing of the WH is so sick and wrong in so many ways. It is NOT their house it is ours.
Posted by Wild Thing at March 21, 2013 01:50 AM
Comments
Republicans needed to take to the streets loudly proclaiming they voted to open white house tours and national parks but Democrats voted to keep them closes. But, alas, they didn't. This is the first I heard of this vote. Opportunity knocks and Republicans don't know how to answer the door.
Posted by: BobF at March 21, 2013 08:54 AM
