Category: US Senate

GOP Sen. Ron Johnson Criticizes ‘Big Push’ To Get Everyone Vaccinated

KEY FACTS

  • In an interview with conservative Wisconsin radio host Vicki McKenna, herself a vocal coronavirus vaccine skeptic, Johnson launched into a condemnation of “vaccine passports,” a credential that would allow businesses to verify vaccination status.
  • But Johnson also went a step further, declaring that he sees “no reason to be pushing vaccines on people,” arguing that their distribution should be “limited” to those most vulnerable to coronavirus, and asking, “If you have a vaccine, quite honestly, what do you care if your neighbor has one or not?”
  • Johnson said he is “getting highly suspicious” of the “big push to make sure everybody gets the vaccine,” not only stating it’s “not a fully approved vaccine” but also arguing that the fact it is 95% effective means only a limited number of people need to be vaccinated. Continue reading.

Tensions rise as Democrats face Senate bottleneck on agenda

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Frustrations are building among congressional Democrats as the party’s priorities pile up in the Senate.

Legislation granting statehood to Washington, D.C., approved by the House on Thursday, is just the latest big agenda item that is set to stall out on the other side of Capitol Hill.

In the majority-run House, Democrats are passing the party’s big priorities along party lines. In the Senate, Republicans can block most legislation with the filibuster, putting the focus on approving President Biden‘s nominees and moving smaller bipartisan measures. Continue reading.

White House sees GOP proposal as legitimate starting point

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The White House on Thursday signaled it would be open to further talks with Republican lawmakers after they proposed a significantly reduced infrastructure plan to counter President Biden‘s $2.2 trillion proposal.

Press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters the administration believes the $568 billion proposal from Senate Republicans unveiled earlier in the day is a legitimate starting point for ongoing talks, and she said the president would likely host lawmakers at the White House for further discussions in the coming weeks. 

“It’s the beginning of a discussion,” Psaki said. “And the next steps will be conversations at the staff level, conversations between senior members of our administration, members of Congress, appropriate committee staff through the course of next week, and then as I noted the president will invite members down to the White House. But there are a lot of details to be discussed.” Continue reading.

Senate passes anti-Asian hate crimes bill

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The Senate on Thursday passed legislation aimed at combating a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic in a 94-1 vote, with GOP Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) the only “no” vote. 

The bill now goes to the House, where Democrats are expected to soon take up their version of the legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that it was “time to stand up” on anti-Asian hate crimes. Continue reading.

Republicans unveil $568 billion infrastructure plan

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A group of Senate Republicans led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) on Thursday unveiled a $568 billion infrastructure proposal, a much smaller counteroffer to President Biden’s $2.3 trillion American Jobs Plan.

Republicans sent the offer to Biden shortly before noon Thursday. 

The proposal seeks to define infrastructure more narrowly compared to Biden’s expansive view of the issue, focusing on roads and bridges, public transit systems, rail, wastewater infrastructure, airports and broadband infrastructure. Continue reading.

GOP sees immigration as path to regain power

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Republicans are building their case for taking back control of Congress around immigration, which they see as their top issue heading into the midterms.

Polls show President Biden with a high approval rating, bolstered by the pace of vaccinations and optimism about the economy. Yet they also indicate Biden’s handling of the border is a weakness, creating an opportunity in the eyes of the GOP.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) on Wednesday predicted that immigration will be a “potent weapon” for Republicans. Continue reading.

Senate Republicans take step to revive debt ceiling brawls with White House

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The non-binding vote is a sharp pivot from their hands-off approach during the Trump administration

Senate Republicans on Wednesday signaled they might oppose any future increase to the debt ceiling unless Congress also couples it with comparable federal spending cuts, raising the specter of a political showdown between GOP leaders and the White House this summer.

Republican lawmakers staked their position after a private gathering to consider the conference’s operating rules this session, issuing what GOP leaders described later as an important yet symbolic statement in response to the large-scale spending increases proposed by President Biden in recent months.

“I think that is a step in the right direction in terms of reining in out-of-control spending,” Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.) told reporters after the meeting. Continue reading.

New signs of progress emerge on police reform

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Congress is under heightened pressure to reach a long-elusive deal on police reform after Derek Chauvin’s conviction for the murder of George Floyd. 

The conviction, heralded by Democrats and activists as a milestone in the quest for racial justice, immediately shifted attention from the courts to Congress, renewing questions about what bill, if any, could pass the 50-50 Senate, where initial police reform discussions after Floyd’s death unraveled nearly a year ago. 

Democrats believe the verdict has given them new momentum, and behind-the-scenes bipartisan talks have been happening for months, with negotiators hoping to have language in a matter of weeks.  Continue reading.

GOP Sen. Kennedy cuts off Stacey Abrams after she buried him in troubling facts about the Georgia voting law

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During a remote hearing this week, Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana asked Georgia-based Democratic organizer Stacey Abrams to voice her objections to her state’s controversial new voter suppression law, the so-called Election Integrity Act of 2021. And her list was a long one.

Abrams told Kennedy, “It shortens the federal runoff period from nine weeks to four weeks. It restricts the time a voter can request and return an absentee voter ballot application. It requires that a voter have a photo identification or some other form of identification that they’re willing to surrender in order to participate in the absentee ballot process.”

Continue reading.

Senate confirms Gupta nomination in tight vote

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The Senate on Wednesday narrowly voted 51-49 to confirm Vanita Gupta, President Biden‘s nominee for the No. 3 position at the Department of Justice (DOJ), despite stiff opposition from Republicans who had criticized her civil rights advocacy during the Trump administration. 

Just one Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), voted in favor of Gupta. Vice President Kamala Harris would have cast the deciding vote if it had been a 50-50 roll call.  

As associate attorney general, Gupta will oversee the DOJ’s efforts on civil litigation and law enforcement issues. Continue reading.