This vote was on whether to allow an amendment by Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., that would allocate $5.2 billion for Defense Department procurement, paid for by cutting funding for green energy programs, the Census Bureau, digital television converter box rebates, and Amtrak.  The amendment was offered to a $900 billion spending bill intended to bolster the flagging economy and create jobs.

When Inhofe offered his amendment, Max Baucus, D-Mont., attempted to defeat it with a parliamentary maneuver that takes advantage of a rule barring amendments that spend more money than what the Appropriations Committee has said it will spend in a year.  Inhofe then made a motion that that the rule be waived for his amendment, which is what this vote was on.

Inhofe said his amendment would create jobs through spending on defense manufacturing.

“Major defense procurement programs are all manufactured in the United States, with our aerospace industry alone employing more than 655,000 workers spread across the United States,” Inhofe said.  “In fact, it is clear that infrastructure investment alone with defense spending and tax cuts has a greater stimulative impact on the economy than anything else the government can do.

Baucus said the amendment should be defeated because it cuts out a long list of important programs, including one to help create a more energy-efficient motor vehicle fleet, energy efficiency programs for building design, and for Amtrak. 
 
By a vote of 38-59, the motion was rejected.  All but three Republicans present voted for the motion.  Every Democrat present voted against the motion.  The end result is that the motion to waive the rules failed, Inhofe’s amendment was defeated with a parliamentary move, and the bill went forward without language that would have redirected $5.2 billion from various programs into Defense Department spending.