WASHINGTON — Sen. Bob Bennett has joined GOP leaders to attack Senate Democrats, charging they are ignoring the last election by continuing to block the new Republican majority from assuming chairmanships of committees.
"We usually pay attention to elections around here," Bennett, R-Utah, complained to the Senate on Tuesday, but said Democrats — while now in the minority after losing seats last year — are "doing all they can" to retain control of committees "for as long as they can."
Democrats are blocking passage of the "organizing resolution," needed for Republicans to take over committee chairmanships. It normally passes quickly after each election without controversy. Until it passes, chairmen of the past Congress — which was controlled by Democrats — continue in their posts.
Democrats say they are blocking that bill to push for a greater share of committee operating funds, seeking 49 percent to match the 49 of 100 votes they have in the Senate. Traditionally, the minority party receives only one-third of committee funds. But Republicans have offered Democrats 40 percent to end the stalemate.
Democrats are threatening to filibuster, or talk to death, the resolution unless they receive that 49 percent.
Stopping a filibuster requires 60 votes, and Republicans have only 51. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist brought the resolution to the floor Tuesday and forced Democrats to make good on their threat to filibuster it.
Bennett was among a parade of incoming Republican chairmen who then blasted Democrats for that obstruction. He said it is "irresponsible and ultimately, in the eyes of the American people, unforgivable."
Bennett, who is the incoming chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, said funding for Congress has already been approved through February — so both sides have agreed on funding splits until then, and stopping all committee work now to insist on instantly working out disagreements is unfair.
Bennett said that two years ago when Democrats gained majority control of the Senate because Sen. Jim Jeffords, I-Vt., switched parties, Bennett gave the gavel of his subcommittee to Democrats the same day.
He added, "We handed over the gavels without protest. We did not haggle and complain. We simply said, 'You are in charge. Good luck. We'll do what we can to help you.' "
He said the refusal to give up chairmanships once the majority has been lost is "unprecedented, and I hope it is unique" and will never happen again.
Bennett also read in the Senate an e-mail sent by a top Democratic aide at the beginning of the month — before Congress convened — warning that Democrats would hold up the organizing resolution for three weeks or more.
He said that was a sign that Democrats carefully planned to "begin fighting the Republicans on every step on every turn from the first day" of the new Congress.
Bennett said Democrats, in his eyes, are merely trying to stop Congress from doing anything, so that they can say in the next election, "See the disarray that the Republicans are in? They didn't do anything."
Bennett also noted that Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said last year that if Democrats won the 2002 elections, Democrats then would insist on two-thirds of committee operating funds that had been traditional.
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