Senate rejects move to delay convention money

M.E. Sprengelmeyer, Rocky Mountain News

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate today defeated an attempt to delay $100 million in security funds proposed for Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul for the 2008 Democratic and Republican national conventions.

By a 51-45, vote, senators rejected an amendment by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., that would have prevented the convention money from being included in an emergency supplemental appropriations bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other projects.

Coburn said convention planning was not an emergency, and including money for it appeared to be an attempt to get around spending limits in the normal budget and appropriations processes.

But Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Denver, joined by Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., argued that the funding was needed because of the threat of terrorism and the need to keep convention planning moving forward.

"I want it in the emergency supplemental because the national convention is a natural target for those who want to do our nation harm," Salazar said. "We should try to get it done just so we can move forward and do the right planning for the conventions."

The vote means that the convention funds remain in the overall $122 billion supplemental spending plan, which President Bush has threatened to veto because it also includes a non-binding timeline for removing most U.S. troops from Iraq by March 31, 2008.

Coburn has tried to block non-war spending from the spending package, saying it could saddle future generations with a bigger national debt.

"We"re going to have a party on our unborn," said Coburn, who is known as a "budget hawk" in Congress, of the convention funds.

"Our budget rules define ‘emergency’ as something unforeseen and unexpected," Coburn said. "First of all, we’ve known we’re going to have a convention every year for a long time. Never before have we funded the security requirement for these conventions out of an emergency bill. We’re going to have two big parties...and we’re going to send the bill for those parties to our grandkids."

The $100 million — $50 million apiece for Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul — is meant to reimburse state and local agencies in Colorado and Minnesota for the cost of providing security during the 2008 conventions.

Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, and Salazar are leading the effort to secure the funds, in concert with Republican colleagues from Minnesota.

DeGette is working to get the money through the non-emergency budget process, so if it does not survive in the emergency supplemental spending plan, "She'll make sure this happens," spokesman Brandon MacGillis said.

In 2004, the Department of Justice appropriated $100 million to cover security costs for the Democratic National Convention in Boston and the Republican National Convention in New York City, although $14 million of that money eventually was not needed, MacGillis said.