Reid counters Coburn holds by threatening a long weekend

Senate Democratic leaders are threatening a weekend session unless Republican Sen. Tom Coburn (Okla.) releases his hold on nearly three dozen bills.

Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is laying plans to keep Congress’s upper chamber at work into Saturday and Sunday to resolve the matter. Although some GOP senators acknowledge irritation with their colleague’s penchant for routinely slowing bills, they save their sharpest words for Reid — saying the Democratic leader has united them in his attempts to divide them.

{mosads}The battle is over a package of 35 authorizing bills that Reid has combined into one bill.

Democratic leaders note that many of the bills enjoy wide, bipartisan support and even have Republican co-sponsors. The bills would normally pass without objection by a voice vote and not require the formal roll call with all senators present. But Coburn has long objected and commonly places holds on legislation to force debate.

Democratic leaders say they had no choice but to package Coburn’s holds and force the issue in an unconventional way. They mentioned having similar challenges with Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), who last week delayed a vote on an AIDS program funding bill and then didn’t attend the Friday vote.

“There are too many important things that he’s stopped and put a hold on,” Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said of Coburn. “The only way in the Senate to do this is to say, ‘We’re going to take the time to do it’ … At some point, we would hope that the Republican leadership would deal with this in their conference.”

Coburn has more than 80 active holds, but Reid has bundled 35 of them into the package he is holding over Republicans. GOP senators say the popular nature of the bills — such as cracking down on child pornography and drug abuse, and promoting research in the names of the late Lou Gehrig and the late Christopher Reeve — makes them suspect Reid is trying to drive a wedge between Coburn and other Republicans.

“You don’t approach a denial of rights of a U.S. senator with a sledgehammer, and that’s what it appears Harry is trying to do,” said Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho). “I disagree with Tom Coburn on a lot of what he’s done. But he’s not saying we shouldn’t vote, he’s saying, ‘I object.’ And Harry has waited until the last minute, until the dam has filled, and then he wants to break it all at once. Maybe they both have a little blame to share.”

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) came the closest to criticizing Coburn but still stopped short, suggesting only that the Oklahoman “pick and choose his battles” more carefully.

“Tom has his prerogatives, and he deserves to be able to play those out. On the other hand, you’ve got to know when to play it, and it’s got to be well-thought-out,” Thune said. “Generally, he’s pretty good at doing that.”

Coburn says he is not the one forcing senators to work through the weekend; the schedule is up to Reid. He also defends his holds as the only practical response to a process that is poised to massively expand the federal government without legislative scrutiny.

“When we should be working on energy and we should be solving gas prices for Americans, we’re going to be spending $44 billion and creating 66 new programs,” he said. “I’m not against two-thirds of the bills. I’m saying they ought to be paid for, and they ought to be amended.”

But Democrats say Coburn’s habit is frustrating because it goes beyond simple scrutiny and actually stymies needed policies.

“When you come here with what’s appearing more and more as the sole purpose of holding things up, what you’re saying is you know better than 99 others,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).

The Democrats’ own conscientious objector, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, rejects any comparison to Coburn by saying their styles are different. Yet he acknowledges a measure of grudging respect, and said he wouldn’t mind working through the weekend.

“I do think the Senate runs best when there are people that are challenging the given game plan,” Feingold said. “If it’s done with respect for colleagues and reasonable moderation, I think it’s a good thing.”

Still, most of Coburn’s colleagues say he is simply exercising his rights, and even those who acknowledge irritation with him rushed to his defense Tuesday.

“I’m sure I’m irritating sometimes,” said Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.). ”I intend to be at times. But to have this sort of packaging like this is kind of unprecedented in the Senate as far as I know … I’m sure [Reid] is trying to drive some wedges and create some political advantage with us.”

There is also a sideshow to the looming standoff: To begin debating Coburn’s holds, Reid would have to divert the Senate from the current energy debate. Some Republican leaders suggested they may not allow that.

“I don’t know why we should,” said John Cornyn (R-Texas), vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. “It’s the most important domestic issue confronting the country. My hope is that we stay on energy until we get something good.”