Feinstein vs. Coburn-Feinstein on ethanol subsidy

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 6/16/11 | Debra J. Saunders

[SmithL]

On Tuesday, the Senate voted 40-59 against an amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., to end the annual $6 billion (45 cents-per-gallon) tax subsidy for ethanol, as well as the 54 cents-per-gallon tariff on imported ethanol.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., was a co-author of the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit Repeal Act. As she explained, the subsidy bestows $15 million a day "on large oil companies with no good reason" and drives up food prices.

Yet Tuesday Feinstein voted against her own amendment.

Feinstein explained to reporters that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid promised her a vote on a similar amendment. That vote is scheduled for today. She voted against her own measure "because of the process Coburn used." Coburn switched legislative language to win a floor vote that had been stalled. Party-line Dems who voted against the bill played enforcer.

Problem: Unlike Feinstein, six senators in the Democratic caucus voted for the amendment.

[BelegStrongbow]

Hmm... the issue must not be that explosive if Feinstein just needs to go to the ‘oil companies bad’ mantra. The oil companies do get to pay less per gallon for ethanol purchased from, oh yeah, oil companies, but the result is to put a lot more money in farm pockets. Guess she’s trying to avoid irritating Iowa voters.

[Free Vulcan]

We need to remove subsidies and mandates for ethanol, not simply because they are subsidies and mandates, but because they screw up the ag and added-value ag sector. It’s time to move beyond ethanol, and that will never happen if we keep the status quo in place.

[cotton1706]

What made the democrats so mad is that Coburn called for cloture, and (whine) that’s what Harry Reid usually does. He doesn’t like anybody stepping on his privileges (although any senator can call for cloture). They didn’t like the “process” that Coburn used, i.e. using the senate rules without telling anybody he was going to do it so they could undercut him. He didn’t tell McConnell either, because McConnell would, of course, tell Reid because of the collegiality of the senate where republicans always fall for the gentlemanly crap.

Good for Coburn. He smoked them out. Feinstein was a co-writer of the amendment but voted against its passage due to “process.” And according to Lindsay Grahamnesty, “the process” is so important.