Economy

The Senate Loves Big Oil

Oil subsidies will continue thanks to the Senate Republicans and several conservadems:

The Senate on Thursday thwarted Democratic plans to strip billions of dollars in tax breaks from the largest oil companies, just an hour or so after President Obama urged the chamber to kill off the deductions.

Lawmakers voted 51-47 to block Sen. Robert Menendez's (D-N.J.) bill. Sixty votes were needed to advance the measure.

Two Republicans -- Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snow, both from Maine -- crossed party lines and voted to repeal the tax breaks. Four Democrats -- Sens. Mark Begich (Alaska), Mary Landrieu (La.), Ben Nelson (Neb.) and Jim Webb (Va.) -- voted against the bill.

But they'll slash the hell out of social programs because it's "fiscally responsible." $4 billion in oil subsidies every year for companies earning record profits that could go towards reducing the budget or making sure people have healthcare. Good people.