US Senate | Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion - Part 35
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US Senate Tag

We all know that millionaire Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) hates banks and the financial sector. The woman seethes about it at every opportunity. Well, the idea of the government easing some some of the banking rules under Dodd-Frank has left her fuming. To make it worse for her SOME OF HER DEMOCRAT COLLEAGUES HAVE AGREED TO IT! For. Shame. Needless to say, the rebellion has caused some headaches for Minority Leader Chuck Schumer at a time the Democrats need unity.

President Donald Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson this morning and nominated CIA Director Mike Pompeo to take over that role. He also nominated CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel to lead the spy agency. If confirmed, Haspel will become the first woman CIA director. However, she may face a rocky road to confirmation due to her role in torture sessions at a secret prison in Thailand.

Earlier this week Senate Democrats introduced a tax plan designed to show what Democrats can be expected to do should they win back majorities in Congress. Their press release refers to their avoidance of "gimmicks and giveaways"; this appears to be a reference to the bonuses, pay raises, and private sector investment and job creation afforded by the new tax law.  All of which, the Democrat proposal would roll back.

The Senate will take up a bipartisan bill this week that could ease some of the banking rules in the infamous Dodd-Frank reform bill that passed in 2010. Yes, there are some Democrats willing to give the GOP the votes it needs to push it forward. Last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed cloture on the bill. So this week the Senate will vote to stop debate on the bill and pass it.

Republicans currently hold a slim majority—51/49—in the U. S. Senate and are eager to retain their majority in this year's midterms. To that end, they have recruited current Representative Kevin Cramer (ND) to run for the Senate against incumbent Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D). This is a big deal because Cramer is considered the best challenger to Heitkamp in this pro-Trump state, but previously had declined to run.

Welp, that didn't last very long. The Senate has ended its debate on immigration as the lawmakers have rejected BOTH proposals in front of them: one from President Donald Trump and the other from the bipartisan clique, the Common Sense Coalition. The lawmakers rejected amendments from Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Chris Coons (D-DL) and another one from Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA).

The Common Sense Coalition, made up of eight Democrats, eight Republicans, and one Independent, has struck a bipartisan deal on immigration even though they know President Donald Trump will likely veto it if it reaches his desk. (I feel like this is the tenth bill that has come up on this subject) It includes a few portions from Trump's bill, but lacks other "pillars" the president has emphasized like eliminating the diversity visa lottery.

In January, Chelsea Manning announced she filed papers to run for the Senate in Maryland, making her an opponent of Sen. Ben Cardin. It turns out, Manning may not be eligible to run because "she is on a technical form of unpaid active duty." This goes against "Department of Defense regulations that prohibit military personnel from seeking public office."

There have been many times when I thought the Senate was getting too big for its britches, often forgetting that they are the second chamber and not the end all, be all of everything in the government. Basic civics teaches us that everything starts in the House of Representatives. The Senate has received a lot of backlash, especially the Democrats, due to a deal to stop the government shutdown. Now the House has added to the criticism, with House Democrats claiming that the Senate has screwed them with the deal and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise stating that the lawmakers are not bound by the deal.

The Senate Democrats have reached a deal with the GOP majority to re-open the government after three days of a shutdown. From Politico:
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) agreed to end the shutdown and fund the government through Feb. 8 while continuing to negotiate on immigration and spending matters. Without a broader deal, the Senate would take up legislation to protect hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants who are losing legal protections, as long as the government remains open.

Amazingly, we all didn't die when the FCC voted to rollback the net neutrality rules implemented during President Barack Obama's administration. Those who desperately want those regulations in place have not stopped fighting. Now they have chosen to place pressure on the states to save net neutrality.