Harkin says he’ll keep up fight against overtime rules change

Iowa Senator Tom Harkin says he’s not punching out yet in the fight over proposed changes in overtime rules. Harkin says his measure to block the new overtime rules was ordered stripped out of the omnibus appropriations bill by the administration. Harkin, a democrat, says he won’t stop his fight to block the new rules. He says he’ll make every move possible to get the measure back before Congress.He says he’ll attempt to add his amendment to every feasible legislative vehicle that comes along during the coming weeks and months. Harkin has been a vocal critic of the president’s state of the union address, and was asked if there is anything about the address he liked. After pausing, Harkin says the president wants to get rid of steroids in athletics, and Harkin said he was in favor of that and laughed. Harkin admits that it’s hard for the party that’s not in power to embrace the president’s state of the union address in an election year. Plus, he says the address is not the most important thing the president will propose.He says the real “tale of the tape” is going to be in the budget. Harkin says he’s sure there’ll be some things in the budget that he agrees with, and a lot of things he disagrees with. Harkin says the budget really tells the state of the union and where the administration is headed. The budget is due out next month.