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US Senate Tag

Posted by Mary Chastain on October 20, 2017 12 Comments
The Senate passed a 2018 budget on Thursday night, 51-49, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) being the only Republican who voted no. The biggest part of the budget, though, is that it provides a shortcut to tax reform using reconciliation instructions to protects a tax bill that adds up to $1.5 trillion to the deficit from a filibuster. The GOP Congress has failed to repeal Obamacare and they view tax reform as one way to save their butts. President Donald Trump has said he wants to sign something by the end of the year.

Posted by Mary Chastain on October 18, 2017 29 Comments
The GOP only has a two seat majority in the Senate, which has shown to be as fragile as everyone thinks after a handful of senators voted no on Obamacare "repeal" bills. The same trouble seems to be brewing when it comes to tax reform. Now that majority may shrink even more since a Fox News poll, yes FOX NEWS, shows that GOP candidate Roy Moore is tied with Democrat candidate Doug Jones at 42% for the Alabama senate seat.

Posted by Mary Chastain on October 03, 2017 11 Comments
The Washington Examiner has reported that Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has begun preparing to run for Sen. Bob Corker's (R-TN) seat next year. Corker announced he would not run for reelection in 2018, making Blackburn the most liekly successor with conservative groups rallying behind her.

Posted by Mary Chastain on October 03, 2017 10 Comments
Last week, President Donald Trump's administration and the GOP in Congress released a framework for possible tax reform. The details are vague, noting that more will happen once tax reform switches to committees. However, two GOP senators have already voiced doubt over the framework: Kentucky Republican Rand Paul and Tennessee Republican Bob Corker, who recently announced he will not seek reelection next year.

Posted by Mary Chastain on October 02, 2017 12 Comments
The Democrats have decided to use the GOP's attempts to repeal Obamacare to their advantage in 2018. From The Hill:
“I think the message is really simple here: As long as Republicans control Congress, your health care is on the chopping block,” said Tyler Law, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), House Democrats’ campaign arm.
One problem: The GOP has shown that despite having control of Congress, they have not been able to repeal Obamacare.

Posted by Mary Chastain on September 30, 2017 5 Comments
Senate Republicans released its 2018 budget, which includes terms to allow the lawmakers to push through tax reform through budget reconciliation. This would protect them from a Democratic Filibuster. The plan gives tax writers until November 13 to submit tax reform plans.

Posted by Mary Chastain on September 27, 2017 14 Comments
The GOP received two shocks on Tuesday when Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) decided not to run for re-election in 2018 and Judge Roy Moore defeated incumbent Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) in the Republican primary. But how YUGE is Corker's retirement? Probably not much in the long run. Plus, it looks like the GOP could actually pick up more seats in 2018 since 10 Democrats up for reelection come from states that President Donald Trump won in November.

Posted by Mary Chastain on September 25, 2017 22 Comments
Welp, Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) tried to change their Obamacare "repeal and replace" bill to appease those senators that opposed it...but it did not work. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) has come out and officially declared she would vote no on both versions of the bill.

Posted by Mary Chastain on September 25, 2017 16 Comments
Sens. Billy Cassidy (R-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) hope to pass their Obamacare "repeal and replace" bill by the end of the month, but have encountered opposition from a few in their own party. Sens. John McCain (AZ) and Rand Paul (KY) have already said no while Sens. Susan Collins (ME) and Lisa Murkowski (AK) remain on the fence. Even Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has said "that he's not yet on board with the legislation." This has led to a few changes to the bill, which includes boosts for Arizona, Alaska, Kentucky, and Maine as a way to entice these senators to vote yes.

Posted by Mary Chastain on September 22, 2017 56 Comments
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) officially decided he will vote no on the Graham-Cassidy bill, which is the latest attempt the GOP has taken to repeal and replace Obamacare. From CNN:
"I cannot in good conscience vote for the Graham-Cassidy proposal," the Arizona Republican said in a statement. "I believe we could do better working together, Republicans and Democrats, and have not yet really tried. Nor could I support it without knowing how much it will cost, how it will effect insurance premiums, and how many people will be helped or hurt by it. Without a full CBO score, which won't be available by the end of the month, we won't have reliable answers to any of those questions."

Posted by Mary Chastain on September 20, 2017 13 Comments
Sens. Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Bob Corker (R-TN), two members with opposing views on fiscal policy, have announced "a path forward on tax reform" that "would allow for a tax reduction, as scored on a statistic basis, over a 10-year period." They hope to Senate Budget Committee will vote on said plan next week. The senators did not release any details about the plan, but new outlets have stated it will allow tax reductions up to $1.5 trillion. The Wall Street Journal reported that the "agreement would allow Republicans to lower tax rates while making fewer tough decisions on what tax breaks to eliminate to help pay for the cuts."

Posted by Mary Chastain on September 15, 2017 13 Comments
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) announced today that he is very close to have the votes needed to repeal Obamacare with the bill he coauthored with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). From The Washington Times:
“We are thinking that we can get this done by Sept. 30,” Sen. Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Republican who co-wrote the bill with Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said Friday.

Posted by Mary Chastain on September 13, 2017 5 Comments
The U.S. Senate has voted to table Sen. Rand Paul's (R-KY) amendment to repeal the 2001 and 2002 war authorizations that have allowed the U.S. military "to fight terrorism across the globe" in everlasting wars. Paul wanted Congress to "reassert its authority to declare war from the Executive Branch." Paul and others, including Democrats, have said that "the Senate is ceding its constitutional war powers" with these amendments.

Posted by Mary Chastain on September 05, 2017 28 Comments
Congress has returned to work and have started to ponder two important tasks at hand: Hurricane Harvey relief bill and the debt ceiling. One option leaders have leaned towards is attaching the two into one bill, thus killing two birds with one stone. The House could pass the Harvey relief bill on Wednesday and send it to the Senate, who could attach the debt ceiling bill to it. Then the Senate would send it back to the House for another vote.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 31, 2017 65 Comments
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray to inform him that the committee found in unredacted parts in transcripts that former FBI Director James Comey decided to write a statement to exonerate then-presumptive Democrat presidential candidate before the FBI finished its investigation into her emails.

Posted by Mary Chastain on August 15, 2017 17 Comments
Musician Kid Rock has made waves since he hinted that he may challenge Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) in November 2018. But Michigan rules may prohibit the name Kid Rock and force him to use his real name Robert Ritchie. Roll Call reported:
If Ritchie were to submit enough valid signatures to make the ballot and indicate that he wanted to be listed as “Kid Rock,” the Michigan Bureau of Elections staff would have to research the question of whether that name would be allowed. At an initial glance, Ritchie’s stage name isn’t an obviously acceptable one under the state’s criteria.
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