An Up-or-Down Vote?
Monday, May 23, 2005; Page A18

IN A WEEK IN which Senate Republicans were expounding the value of "up-or-down votes," it seems odd that some House Republicans decided on Thursday to prevent one, even though it concerned an issue many Republicans have supported in the past. Thanks to Rep. Richard W. Pombo (R-Calif.), who objected on procedural grounds, members did not vote on an amendment to the Interior Department spending bill that would have limited taxpayer subsidies for logging operations in Alaska's Tongass National Forest. Last year, virtually the same amendment passed the House with a bipartisan majority and no procedural objections.