Anger Over Budget Provision Unites Parties

As the Senate neared passing an omnibus spending bill before the end of this year's session, a very interesting provision was found to have been slipped in at the last minute. The provision, if passed, would have allowed for the Chairmen of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to examine the tax returns of any American, something completely unheard of since the days of Hoover and the Red Scare. After passing the House, Senate Democrats examined the bill and found the provision, singling it out on the floor on Saturday. Senators on both sides were enraged at such an abuse of power. Bill Frist, the Senate Majority Leader, expressed his outrage, "I have no earthly idea how it got in there. Nobody is going to defend this." The provision was supposedly added by a staff worker of Alaska Republican Ted Stevens.

More at CNN.

EDIT: The NY Times is reporting that Republican Representative Ernest Istook of Oklahoma was responsible for slipping in the provision.