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US Senate Tag

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 19, 2017 20 Comments
The Senate Banking Committee has rejected President Donald Trump's nominee Scott Garrett to run the US Export-Import (EX-IM) Bank after two Republicans defected. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Sen. Mark Rounds (R-SD) sided with the Democrats, which has the bank that "boosts financing for U.S. exports by large and small companies" without a leader.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 18, 2017 33 Comments
Anyone else saw this coming? Yeah, me too. After a seventh female accused Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) of sexual misconduct, Democrat senators finally called for him to resign. The number skyrocketed after word got out that he would resign. On December 7, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) announced he would resign from the Senate after numerous females accused him of sexual misconduct. He didn't give an exact date, just said in the coming weeks. Now four senators have urged Franken to reconsider, including some who called for him to step down.

Posted by Miriam Elman on December 17, 2017 11 Comments
Last week the U.S. Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee concluded its hearings regarding the confirmation of Kenneth L. Marcus, President Trump’s pick for the position of Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights. We noted in a post back in October, when the White House first announced the nomination, that Marcus is extraordinarily qualified for the job and is an excellent pick for heading the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Trump appoints attorney who combats antisemitism to key civil rights post.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 15, 2017 11 Comments
The drama is almost over as the Republicans have unveiled their tax bill. They are also closer to victory since Sen. Bob Corker (TN) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) have decided to back the bill, leaving the Senate with only two undecided Republicans. From The New York Times:
On Friday, as Republicans released details about the final bill, it became clear that the agreement would provide deep and longstanding tax cuts for businesses, while providingslightly more generous tax breaks to low- and middle-income Americans byreducing some benefits for higher earners.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 15, 2017 5 Comments
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), both of which said they would vote on the tax bill, have both come out as a yes for the bill only a hours before its scheduled to come out. The GOP now has zero senators declaring a no on the vote, but there are still a few undecided.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 14, 2017 19 Comments
The GOP's vision of passing a tax bill in the Senate is slowing fading as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has threatened to vote no on it unless the bill expands the child tax credit. From The Washington Post:
“I understand that this is a process of give and take, especially when there’s only a couple of us fighting for it, the leverage is lessened,” Rubio (R-Fla.) said Thursday in the Senate. “But given all the other changes made in the tax code leading into it, I can’t in good conscience support it unless we are able to increase [the child tax credit], and there’s ways to do it and we’ll be very reasonable about it.”

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 13, 2017 26 Comments
Last week, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) announced he will resign in the coming weeks after facing numerous sexual misconduct allegations. Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton (D) has appointed Lt. Gov. Tina Smith (D) to take over Franken's seat whenever the senator does decide to step down.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 11, 2017 12 Comments
The GOP in Congress are no doubt desperate for a victory after the failed Obamacare repeal attempts, but that desperation could come back and bite them. They want to pass the tax bill before Christmas, but all the rushing and late nights have caused errors. From The Washington Post:
Questionable special-interest provisions have been stuffed in along the way, out of public view and in some cases literally in the dead of night. Drafting errors by exhausted staff are cropping up and need fixes, which must be tackled by congressional negotiators working to reconcile competing versions of the legislation passed separately by the House and the Senate.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 07, 2017 23 Comments
*UPDATE* Senate has also passed the stopgap spending bill, sending it to President Donald Trump's desk. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a two-week spending bill that will beat the deadline of a government shutdown.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 02, 2017 34 Comments
The Senate voted early this morning to pass a Tax Reform bill. That bill is not yet law, because differences with the Tax Reform bill passed by the House need to be worked out in conference. Nonetheless, this procedural step forward was considered a big win for Trump and Republicans after Senate Republicans could not pass even a weak repeal and replace of Obamacare because of defections. But this time the caucus held together with just one defection, Bob Corker. How have liberals reacted?

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 30, 2017 22 Comments
Two more females have come forward with accusations against Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), including an army veteran. Army Veteran Stephanie Kemplin has accused Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) of groping her breasts during a USO tour in 2003. An unnamed former New England elected offical told Anna Merlan at Jezebel that Franken tried to plant a "wet, open-mouthed kiss" on her in 2006 on stage at an event.

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 28, 2017 6 Comments
The senate tax bill conquered its first hurdle when the Senate Budget Committee passed it along party lines, 12-11. This also gives some optimism for it on the senate floor since two GOP senators who had hesitations on it voted yes in the committee: Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI). The Senate could vote on the bill as soon as Thursday, but it should happen by the end of this week.

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 27, 2017 29 Comments
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) held a short press conference outside of his office to address the sexual misconduct allegations against him. He apologized profusely and promised to cooperate with the ethics committee. From Politico:
“It’s been clear that there are some women — and one is too many — who feel that I have done something disrespectful and it’s hurt them and for that, I am tremendously sorry,” Franken told reporters outside his Senate office. “I know that I am going to have to be much more conscious when in these circumstances, much more careful, much more sensitive, and that this will not happen again going forward.”

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 27, 2017 6 Comments
It's a big week in the Senate as the lawmakers will vote on the GOP tax plan. They're hoping to pull it through after two miserable Obamacare repeal attempts this year. Needless to say, they're desperate for a victory. But as I've said over and over, the GOP only has a two-seat majority, which means they cannot afford holdouts. Even though they have a tax plan settled, word on the Hill is that they may make changes in order to rein in members of their party that could foil a victory.

Posted by Fuzzy Slippers on November 22, 2017 31 Comments
After clearly stating that as president he had no power to change immigration law, then-president Obama went ahead in 2012 with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).  Obama himself referred to DACA as his "action to change the law," a power vested in the legislature, not the executive. In 2010, Obama told an audience of amnesty proponents that he's "not king" and "can't do these things just by myself."  In 2011, he explained further, "that he couldn't "just bypass Congress and change the (immigration) law myself. ... That's not how a democracy works."  And in 2012, he did it anyway. Then-presidential candidate Trump campaigned on ending DACA, and in September, he announced his decision to end DACA after giving Congress six months to pass it into law.  Passing DACA or some equivalent into law is perfectly within the purview of Congress.

Posted by Mary Chastain on November 20, 2017 34 Comments
Another woman has accused Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) of inappropriate behavior. According to CNN, 33-year-old Lindsay Menz claims that Franken grabbed her butt during a photo-op at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010. Just days ago, radio news anchor Leeann Tweeden claimed that Franken forcibly kissed her and groped her breasts as she slept in 2006 during a USO tour.
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