This vote was on an amendment by Kent Conrad, D-N.D., that would modify the fiscal 2009 budget resolution to make room for future legislation to repeal the 1993 tax increase on Social Security benefits.  Conrad said his amendment would do this in such a way that it would not increase the deficit or the debt, however it would require another piece of legislation to actually make the change.  The amendment was offered to the fiscal 2009 budget resolution, which outlines Congress’ spending priorities for the year and other budgetary rules.

Jim Bunning, R-Ky., criticized the amendment for not being specific enough in outlining how it would avoid increasing the deficit.  “I would note that it contains an instruction that he himself, as chairman, should come up with the savings [at a later date].  This is a very odd instruction that we put in the budget resolution because it does not say where the savings will occur. I hope he has no intention of raising taxes on other Americans to pay for this amendment,” Bunning said.

The Senate adopted the amendment by a vote of 53-46.  Every Democrat present voted for the amendment.  Of Republicans present, all but three voted against the amendment (Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and George Voinovich of Ohio).  The end result is that the bill went forward with language that would allow for a future repeal of Social Security tax increases enacted in 1993.