After casting not one, but two votes last fall in favor or reinstating traditional two-sided PAYGO rules on the budget reconciliation bill (vote) and the tax reconciliation bill (vote), Sen. Tom Coburn caved to his Republican leadership and voted against the same exact PAYGO rules he supported last fall. Coburn's flip-flop on PAYGO was the crucial factor in the failure of the Conrad PAYGO amendment to the budget resolution yesterday. Instead of moving the Senate toward fiscal restraint by requiring both entitlement increases and tax cuts to be offset (and therefore deficit neutral), Sen. Coburn - a self-declared deficit hawk - has allowed Congress to continue down its reckless fiscal path and has paved the way for more deficit-busting tax cuts in 2006. Any statement Coburn makes now on the importance of fiscal restraint and curbing deficits is little more than posturing - he missed his opportunity to truly make a difference with the country's deficits in Washington. It is still unclear what caused Dr. Coburn to change his vote on this crucial budget issue. People around the country, particularly those in Oklahoma, who are concerned about the long-term fiscal challenges we face should contact Sen. Coburn (and the 49 other Republicans who voted against logic and responsibility) and share their outrage and disappointment with his vote yesterday. Sen. Coburn's Washington office number is 202.224.5754. Republican Senators voting in favor of the PAYGO amendment were Sens. McCain (R-AZ), Chafee (R-RI), Collins (R-ME), Snowe (R-ME), and Voinovich (R-OH). New York Times: Senate GOP Blocks Tight Budget Rule