Reid: GOP cares about politics, not jobs

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday morning blamed Republicans for sinking a bill funding the Economic Development Administration (EDA), a measure Reid said was aimed at creating jobs. The Senate voted against cloture on the bill 49-51 on Tuesday.

"The message Republicans are sending is clear," Reid said. "They care more about partisan politics than about putting people back to work."

The "jobs deficit" is "just as critical as our budget deficit," Reid said.

He blamed Republicans for offering "almost 100" non-germane amendments to the EDA bill. Democrats had offered about 30 of their own.

"For the fourth time this year, my Republican colleagues stalled a jobs bill," Reid said. "This was the second jobs bill Republicans have killed by piling on unrelated amendments."

These are apparent references to patent reform and Federal Aviation Administration bills, which the House is expected to take up in the coming weeks, though Reid said they are "wasting away in the House."

Reid also appeared to be referencing the Small Business Administration authorization bill, which likewise died in the Senate after there was no agreement on how to handle amendments.

On Tuesday night, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) criticized Republicans for offering amendments on a wide range of issues that ended up preventing agreement on the EDA bill.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said the same Wednesday.

"When bills come to the floor, brought here by Majority Leader Harry Reid, senators from the other side of aisle start a steady-stream procession up to this desk here to file amendment after amendment after amendment," he said.

"The amendments had little to do with the bill."

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