Snowe, Collins mark victories, defeat in heat of budget debate

WASHINGTON – After a week of wrangling over a framework for this year’s federal budget, both Maine senators played hard in the debate, won their own victories, and in the end hailed passage of a budget resolution that makes room for a $1.2 trillion tax cut.

Sen. Olympia Snowe, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, successfully gained support for an amendment to the budget resolution that sets aside $300 billion for a Medicare prescription drug benefit and Medicare reform.

“The lack of a prescription drug coverage benefit is the biggest hole – a black hole really – in the Medicare system,” Snowe said on the Senate floor before passage of the amendment.

She was also successful in getting $28 billion for uninsured people and $250 million for Coast Guard operations, benefits and drug interdiction efforts.

Her fellow Republican from Maine, Sen. Susan Collins, submitted a handful of amendments to the budget resolution – some victorious and at least one defeat. The Senate overwhelmingly passed Collins’ amendment to establish a reserve fund to eliminate further cuts in Medicare payments to home health agencies.

The Senate also passed a Collins amendment that provides $4.5 billion over 10 years for a range of energy resources and energy efficiency programs. It increases funding for voluntary programs that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, funding for climate change research, and for developing nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

But she was defeated on tax credits for small businesses to purchase health insurance for their employees and on tax deductions for health insurance for the self-employed and those who don’t receive health insurance from their employers.