I think you're right SH, looks like a typical DC shuffle to me, give them cover with their rabid base, blame the evil Repub's for killing this idea...blah, blah, blah!
But if the Repub's were smart, and unfortunately for us they aren't, they would attach an amendment to this bill stripping
all subsidies, no sacred cows!
Calling their bluff the DemonRat meme would be blown out of the water! We could rightly state they want to protect their sacred cows while we were prepared to sacrifice them all!
Too bad my sage advice will fall on deaf ears...