The Istook amendment (gag-rule) isn't dead yet, but its support is eroding
fast in both the House and Senate.

The House barely mustered a majority (216-210) to insert the amendment
into the Continuing Resolution (CR) on temporary government funding.
(When the House last voted on Istook, in August, we lost by about 40
votes.)

The Senate refused to accept Istook and instead barely passed its own
watered-down (though still objectionable) measure.  The House then
refused to accept the Senate measure, and voted to strip it out
altogether, since it was the sole item of disagreement between the two
chambers on the CR.

Then yesterday, the House leadership endorsed removing Istook from the
Treasury-Postal appropriations bill, where it had been obstructing
passage for months.

Istook will presumably try again, but fortunately for us, it has become
such a high-profile issue that members of Congress have actually read the
legislation (fairly unusual) and are realizing in increasing numbers how
bad it is.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Andy Finch
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AAM Government Affairs