Not So Fast: Typo in Budget Bill May Give Democrats Another Chance to Fight It

Last Updated: 8/15/2006

A small typo in the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) may cause huge problems for the new law. The DRA, which makes drastic cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, was signed into law this week by President Bush. However, the version he signed is different from the bill passed by the House, according to an article in The Hill.

The typo involves a clerical error in a provision of the bill stating when ownership of certain rented medical equipment would transfer to beneficiaries. According to a follow-up article in The Hill, Senate clerks changed the bill after it passed that body but before it was sent to the House. Senate clerks then changed the version approved by the House back to its original form before sending it on to the President for his signature.

Usually technical errors like these are corrected under unanimous consent agreements passed by both houses, but congressional Democrats could block the consent agreement and take this opportunity to mount another objection to the law, The Hill reports. Democrats blocked another consent agreement on the bill late last year, forcing Republicans to vote again on the budget cuts this year. The bill passed the House by a slim margin (216–214), and four Republicans who had previously supported the bill voted against it after they had more time to review it. The Senate Democratic leadership has apprently elected not to resist finalizing action on the bill and is leaving the bill’s fate in the hands of the House.

“Now that both chambers are one month closer to the November elections, the effort to get this bill, with its deep cuts in domestic spending, may present a disaster to Republican supporters of the bill,” comments the National Senior Citizens Law Center in its Feb. 10 Washington Weekly. If House Democrats — all of whom voted against the contentious bill — are able to force another vote, those who oppose the measure would be handed a third chance to defeat it.

Whatever happens, at least for now it appears that the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 is not yet law.

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