It was another bizarre day in the House on Wednesday: Republicans argued for more money for welfare programs while Democrats joined fiscal conservatives in voting against it.
The latest twist in the tortured route the budget is taking through the House ended in another stalemate. The House, despite many efforts from House Majority Leader Michael Lange, has yet to find a way to endorse a budget for the Department of Public Health and Human Services.
The opposition would better be called tri-partisan. It included all 49 democrats, six Republicans and the sole Constitution Party representative.
Rep. Dan Villa, D-Anaconda, called the vote a "last desperate attempt to put a rudder on a captain-less ship."
The House Republicans have pushed through seven other budget bills, all above the objections of Democrats who want to return to the single budget bill used for the last 30 years. But the DPHHS budget has turned into a "political football," as Republican Rep. Penny Morgan of Billings called it.
Republicans chided Democrats for voting against programs they traditionally support just because they object to the new GOP budget process.
So far, the effort by House GOP to force through a new budget process - despite only holding a razor-thin pseudo-majority - has failed to deliver a complete budget out of the chamber.
House Republicans are hoping Senate Democrats can bail out the new eight-part, or seven-part, budget strategy. Those Democrats aren't making any promises.
Morgan, in a tearful appeal to get support for the measure, said the money goes to programs used by people who really need them. She said she has had a tough year personally.
"I realized that no matter how hard my life was, I was far more fortunate than the people this bill helps," she said.
The roughly $3 billion DPHHS budget covers a myriad of programs, from Meals on Wheels to Medicaid to temporary financial assistance for needy families.
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