Category: US Senate

Senate Republicans try to shield Mueller from criticism of his Russia probe

The following article by Karoun Demirjian was posted on the Washington Post website December 14, 2017:

Former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, leaves Capitol Hill on June 21 after a closed-door meeting. (Andrew Harnik/Associated Press)

Senate Republicans are scrambling to shield special counsel Robert S. Mueller III from mounting GOP fury about new evidence that members of his team were biased against President Trump, as factions of the party charge that his entire investigation is tainted.

The stakes are high: If the GOP moves to hold Mueller accountable for his former subordinates’ actions, it could enable Trump to order his ouster and cripple the inquiry he has run examining Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether the president’s campaign coordinated with the Kremlin to tilt its outcome in his favor. Continue reading “Senate Republicans try to shield Mueller from criticism of his Russia probe”

Senate Panel to Consider Rules Change

The following article by Jason Dick was posted on the Roll Call website December 14, 2017:

Resolution would cut debate time on the floor for nominees

Sen. Roy Blunt thinks Democrats are abusing the rules in demanding full debate time on nominees. On Tuesday, the Rules panel will consider a resolution to cut the debate time. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Senate Republicans are readying another rule change to the chamber, this one aimed at reducing the number of hours the chamber debates executive and judicial nominees.

The Rules and Administration Committee will meet on Tuesday to consider a resolution sponsored by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., that would reduce the time the chamber debates nominees drastically from the current 30 hours after debate is cut off.

High-ranking executive branch nominees and most judges or justices would get eight hours of post-cloture debate. District court nominees would get two hours of debate time. Continue reading “Senate Panel to Consider Rules Change”

The Senate Tax Bill Is Even More Costly Under Current Policy Assumptions

The following article by Seth Hanlon and Alex Rowell was posted on the Center for American Progress website December 13, 2017:

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, takes questions from reporters as he and other lawmakers head to the Senate floor for votes on Capitol Hill in Washington, November 27, 2017. Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite

The tax bills that the House and Senate have passed and are now seeking to reconcile would add nearly $1.5 trillion to federal deficits over the next decade, according to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT). One of the ways in which the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are rationalizing adding so much debt is by claiming that they are measuring the tax bill against a “current policy” baseline instead of the traditional “current law” baseline. But in applying a current policy baseline to the bill under the assumption that it reduces the cost, they are making a major error. The fact is that the Senate tax bill adds even more to deficits when using current policy assumptions. Under this approach, the bill’s many expiring tax cuts would be treated as if they were permanent, significantly raising their cost. Continue reading “The Senate Tax Bill Is Even More Costly Under Current Policy Assumptions”

Tina Smith, a political insider, steps onto the national stage

The following article by Erin Golden and Jessie Van Berkel was posted on the StarTribune website December 14, 2017:

Long known as a “velvet hammer” behind the scenes, she must craft her own public persona as Minnesota’s next senator.

Gov. Mark Dayton introduced his new Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, his former chief of staff, during a press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4. at the AFL-CIO offices in St. Paul, MN.

When former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak needed a steady hand to manage the city’s highly scrutinized response to the collapse of the I-35W bridge, he turned to Tina Smith. When Gov. Mark Dayton needed a similarly deft touch in the final push to approve state funding for a new Vikings stadium, he also turned to Smith.

Smith’s prowess at navigating Minnesota’s overlapping political, business and labor interests at the highest level prompted Rybak to dub her “the velvet hammer” for her mix of personal warmth and toughness. After several decades working mostly behind the scenes in DFL politics, Smith as Dayton’s choice for U.S. senator is now stepping in a very public way into the national spotlight. Continue reading “Tina Smith, a political insider, steps onto the national stage”

Those That Shall Not Be Named: Cost Sharing Reductions

The following article by Lindsey McPherson was posted on the Roll Call website December 14, 2017:

Speaker Paul D. Ryan once panned a measure that would restore cost-sharing reduction subsidies for health insurance companies. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

In Congress, where most lawmakers are hesitant to spill secrets about ongoing negotiations, answers are often found in what lawmakers are not saying. And House Republican leaders are not saying much about subsidies for health care insurers lately.

GOP leaders’ continued refusal in recent weeks to rule out funding the cost-sharing reduction subsidies, or CSRs, which President Donald Trump’s administration has stopped paying, is not a guarantee that Congress will do so. But it’s certainly a green light for negotiations to continue. Continue reading “Those That Shall Not Be Named: Cost Sharing Reductions”

Gov. Mark Dayton appoints Tina Smith to U.S. Senate

The following article by Erin Golden and J. Patrick Coolican was posted on the StarTribune website December 13, 2017:

Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, a Democrat, will take over for Sen. Al Franken when he officially resigns from Senate.

Lt. Gov. Tina Smith accepted an appointment to the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, preparing to replace Al Franken as one of Minnesota’s most powerful officials in Washington and vowing to protect the seat for Democrats in next year’s special election.

“Though I never anticipated this moment, I am resolved to do everything I can to move Minnesota forward,” Smith said, moments after DFL Gov. Mark Dayton announced that he was her choice to replace Franken following his upcoming resignation in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal.

When she officially joins the Senate — likely to happen in early January — Smith will join Sen. Amy Klobuchar to make Minnesota one of only four states with two women senators (the others are California, Washington and New Hampshire). Continue reading “Gov. Mark Dayton appoints Tina Smith to U.S. Senate”

Support for Tax Plan Could Hurt Candidates

The following article by Taegan Goddard was posted on the Political Wire website December 13, 2017:

A new Quinnipiac poll finds American voters disapprove of the pending Republican tax plan by a wide margin, 55% to 26%, and 43% say they are less likely to vote for a U.S. Senator or Congressperson who supports the plan.

Key finding: “Only 16% of American voters say the tax plan will reduce their taxes, while 44% say it will increase their taxes and 30% say the tax plan will have little impact.”

For members: Where’s the Political Upside in the GOP Tax Plan?

View the post here.

GOP lawmaker: Trump isn’t making it easy for Republicans to keep majority

The following article by Cristina Marcos was posted on the Hill website December 13, 2017:

© Camille Fine

A senior House Republican said Wednesday that President Trump is not making it any easier for the GOP to enact legislative priorities and keep its majority in next year’s midterm elections.

The day after a Democrat won a Senate seat in Alabama for the first time in a quarter-century, Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) suggested that Republicans might have a better shot at remaining in power if they can show voters next year that they can govern.

“A lot of it still depends on what happens next year. If we get some things done, maybe [we will] improve our chances,” Simpson told reporters in the Capitol. Continue reading “GOP lawmaker: Trump isn’t making it easy for Republicans to keep majority”

During Watergate, it was country first, party second. What about now?

NOTE:  Some of us have been around long enough to remember Watergate and how Republicans did view President Nixon’s abuse of power and disregard for the law of the land as something not to be tolerated.  Unfortunately, the currently elected group of Republicans (and that seems to include Rep. Erik Paulsen) doesn’t hold with those standards and are now attacking the special investigation into the 2016 Russian interference in our elections.

The following article by Daniel Bush was posted on the PBS.org website May 26, 2017:

For most politicians, comparisons to Watergate are a sure sign of trouble. But President Donald Trump, as he has often reminded the American public, is not your average politician.

Mr. Trump put that claim to the test this month by firing the director of the FBI. The move drew immediate comparisons to Richard Nixon’s dismissal of Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor investigating his presidency, after an extraordinary turn of events known in Washington shorthand as the “Saturday Night Massacre.” Continue reading “During Watergate, it was country first, party second. What about now?”

Senate, House Reach Tax Overhaul Agreement

The following article by Niels Lesniewski and Joe Williams was posted on the Roll Call website December 13, 2017:

Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch confirms

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, speaks with reporters as he arrives for lunch with Senate Republicans in the Capitol on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Senate and House Republicans have reached a broad agreement on a major overhaul of the U.S. tax code, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch said Wednesday.

As he was leaving for the White House, the Senate Finance Chairman confirmed the House and Senate have reached a deal on overhauling the tax code.

“We reached the agreement,” the Utah Republican told reporters.

Hatch said he planned to update President Donald Trump on the agreement when he reached the White House, declining to answer any questions about specifics, such as the final corporate tax rate or when exactly the deal was reached. Continue reading “Senate, House Reach Tax Overhaul Agreement”