Progressives lost by a large margin when Sen. Tom Harkin's (D-Iowa) amendment taking on both tax cuts and the powerful tobacco lobby was brought up for debate during the Senate's consideration of the fiscal year 2005 budget resolution (S.Con.Res 95). Harkin's amendment, which would have created a reserve fund that would allow up to $30.5 billon in additional spending in fiscal year 2005 through fiscal year 2009 for medical research and for health services, such as tobacco cessation programs, was soundly defeated with 29 Democrats joining all but two Republicans in defeating the measure. The reason being that Harkin's amendment would increase the amount dedicated for deficit reduction by $2 billion, and the spending would be offset by increasing the cigarette tax to $1 per pack - something conservatives ardently opposed on the grounds it constitutes a tax increase. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), a heart and lung surgeon, led the opposition to the Harkin amendment, saying that while he shared the "overall goal" of reducing tobacco use, "I'm against raising taxes. And that is exactly what this amendment is--a tax increase and a large one. Moreover, it is very regressive. It raises taxes on many people who can't afford it." The Harkin amendment was defeated 32-64, thus Harkin's proposal that tobacco users shoulder a tax to help reduce the deficit and further medical research was rejected.