Republican members of Congress removed $900 Million in funding for pandemic flu preparedness from the stimulus package passed in February.  Wisconsin Democrat David Obey, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee was even widely ridiculed, by GOP luminaries including none other than Karl Rove, for including the funding in the initial draft of the stimulus bill.  Senator Susan Collins of Maine, one of three Republicans who eventually voted for the stimulus, specifically cited losing the pandemic flu appropriation as a program which needed to be cut from the bill in order for her to support the package both in a meeting with President Obama, and to the press, as seen below:

Can these people get anything right?  Even a broken clock is right twice a day.  It really would be nice if there were two, or more, political parties coming up with viable ideas for the future of this country.  Instead we have the Democrats trying to figure things out the best they can and the Republicans giving their typical bluster and bravado over the worst ideas possible…oh, and pushing for tax cuts at every opportunity.  It’s time for the GOP leadership to wake up.  The party is over, and the old policies of the past are done.  In order for the democracy to function well, we need all parties providing real solutions.

LINKS:

USA Today: Pandemic-preparedness money stripped from stimulus

The Nation: GOP Know-Nothings Fought Pandemic Preparedness

Politico: Collins spurned stim cash for pandemic