Category: US Senate

Trump Slams Ryan, McConnell Over Debt Ceiling ‘Mess’

The following article by John T. Bennett was posted on the Roll Call website August 24, 2017:

President tweets that the GOP leaders ignored his advice

Credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Updated at 9:52 a.m. | President Donald Trump on Thursday criticized Speaker Paul D. Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, saying they created a debt ceiling “mess” by refusing his advice.

After the White House and McConnell’s office on Wednesday denied a recent New York Times report about tensions — including a profanity-filled phone call — between the two, the president started Thursday by attacking the Senate leader.

The Twitter strike also came a day after Ryan had pushed back on Trump’s threat to shut down the government unless he gets money for his proposed southern border wall. Continue reading “Trump Slams Ryan, McConnell Over Debt Ceiling ‘Mess’”

Support a free press locally and nationally

The following commentary by Sen. Amy Klobuchar was printed in the Eden Prairie News August 24, 2017:

In Minnesota, we understand the importance of a free press.  It’s hard to forget in our state — Minnesotans are among the most engaged citizens in the country.  Last year we again ranked first in the nation in voter turnout, Minnesotans volunteer at the second highest rate in the country.  And we usually look to our local newspapers as the first stop for the information we need.

In my house growing up, it was impossible to forget the importance of a free press.  My dad was a journalist.

As a reporter and a columnist, my dad, Jim Klobuchar, covered it all.  On the night of the presidential election in 1960, as a young stringer for the Associated Press, he was among the first in the country — if not the first — to call the race for President John F. Kennedy.  He was fearless, whether it was reporting from Moscow with a Soviet Intourism guide assigned to him at all times or taking tear gas covering protests outside of a political convention.  Digging for the truth was his job.  Finding the truth made it all worth it. Continue reading “Support a free press locally and nationally”

McConnell, in Private, Doubts if Trump Can Save Presidency

The following article by Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin was posted on the New York Times website August 22, 2017:

Credit: AFP/Getty Images

The relationship between President Trump and Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, has disintegrated to the point that they have not spoken to each other in weeks, and Mr. McConnell has privately expressed uncertainty that Mr. Trump will be able to salvage his administration after a series of summer crises.

What was once an uneasy governing alliance has curdled into a feud of mutual resentment and sometimes outright hostility, complicated by the position of Mr. McConnell’s wife, Elaine L. Chao, in Mr. Trump’s cabinet, according to more than a dozen people briefed on their imperiled partnership. Angry phone calls and private badmouthing have devolved into open conflict, with the president threatening to oppose Republican senators who cross him, and Mr. McConnell mobilizing to their defense. Continue reading “McConnell, in Private, Doubts if Trump Can Save Presidency”

PowerPost Senators unveil two proposals to protect Mueller’s Russia probe

The following article by Karoun Demirjian was posted on the Washington Post website August 3, 2017:

Two bipartisan pairs of senators unveiled legislation Thursday to prevent President Trump from firing special counsel Robert S. Mueller III without cause — or at least a reason good enough to convince a panel of federal judges.

Senators have raised concerns that the president might try to rearrange his administration to get rid of Mueller, who is spearheading a probe of Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election and any possible collusion between the Kremlin and members of the Trump campaign and transition teams. Continue reading “PowerPost Senators unveil two proposals to protect Mueller’s Russia probe”

Senate Republicans have tolerated Trump’s controversies. His treatment of Sessions is different.

The following article by Paul Kane was posted on the Washington Post website July 26, 2017:

President Trump said he would have “picked someone else” had he known that Attorney General Jeff Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia probe. (The Washington Post)

Sen. John Cornyn counts Attorney General Jeff Sessions as one of his best friends in Washington, and their wives are even closer, making the couples regular double-date partners.

“We occasionally get together to break bread,” the Senate majority whip said Wednesday. One of those double dates came recently enough that Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Sessions could not avoid the elephant in the room: President Trump’s public taunting of his attorney general, in a manner that suggests he wants Sessions to resign. Continue reading “Senate Republicans have tolerated Trump’s controversies. His treatment of Sessions is different.”

ALEC’s Scary Plan For Electing Your Senators

The following article by David Daley was posted on the AlterNet website July 22, 2017:

The New York Times and Washington Post reported that President Trump has had conversations with top officials about whether he could pardon himself and his family, and also suggested that the White House could be mounting an attack on the credibility of Robert Mueller, the special prosecutor leading the investigation into Russian influence on the 2016 campaign.

Trump’s “election integrity” commission convened for the first time on Wednesday and he wasted no time assailing state election officials who have refused the panel’s unprecedented request for detailed voter data. The president alleged, darkly, that uncooperative states might have something to hide. “One had to wonder what they’re worried about,” Trump said. “There’s something. There always is.” Continue reading “ALEC’s Scary Plan For Electing Your Senators”

Congress breaks impasse on bill to slap sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea

The following article by Mike DeBonis and Karoun Demirjian was posted on the Washington Post website July 22, 2017:

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) left, speaks with reporters during the Speaker’s weekly news conference on June 8 on Capitol Hill. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) is to the right. (Cliff Owen/AP)

A weeks-long impasse over imposing new financial sanctions on Iran and Russia broke late Friday, with the House preparing to vote next week on a measure that would prevent President Trump from lifting measures against Moscow.

House leaders agreed to vote on an expanded version of the bill after incorporating sanctions aimed at freezing North Korea’s nuclear program and draining the government of revenue it uses to fund it. The measures against Pyongyang, which passed the House 419 to 1 as a stand-alone bill earlier this year, were inserted at the request of House Republican leaders.

While some details have yet to be finalized, congressional aides said, the bill is set for a vote Tuesday, according to a schedule circulated Saturday by House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). It will proceed under special expedited procedures for noncontroversial bills expected to pass with a two-thirds majority.

Continue reading “Congress breaks impasse on bill to slap sanctions on Russia, Iran and North Korea”

Parts of Senate GOP Health Care Bill Break Rules, Parliamentarian Says

The following article by Mary Ellen McIntyre was posted on the Roll Call website July 21, 2017:

Abortion, insurance regulations, cost-sharing subsidies would require 60 votes

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., along with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, speaks to reporters about the path forward for health care legislation in the Ohio Clock Corridor after the Senate Republicans’ policy lunch in the Capitol on Tuesday, July 18, 2017. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Several parts of the Senate health care bill would violate the chamber’s budget reconciliation rules, the Senate parliamentarian said in a guidance late Friday.

Provisions related to abortion, certain insurance regulations and funding the law’s cost-sharing subsidies could be struck under the so-called Byrd rule and would require 60 votes to survive.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has said the Senate will take a procedural vote to proceed to debate on the health care measure early next week. It’s unclear whether enough Republican senators will vote to start debate or which version of the bill the Senate would consider. The parliamentarian’s ruling is on an early version released last month.

Additionally, a provision that aims to incentivize individuals to purchase coverage and replace the health care law’s individual mandate was ruled out of order with the Byrd rule. Continue reading “Parts of Senate GOP Health Care Bill Break Rules, Parliamentarian Says”

Senate Leaders Press for Health Care Vote, but on Which Bill?

The following article by Thomas Kaplan and Robert Pear was posted on the New York Times website July 20, 2017:

From left, Senators Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn and John Thune leaving the White House on Wednesday after a meeting between President Trump and Republican senators on health care. Credit Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans ended a demoralizing week on Thursday with their leaders determined to press ahead with a vote to begin debating health care next week, but with little progress on securing the votes and no agreement even on which bill to take up.

With President Trump urging them to move forward on their seven-year quest to erase the Affordable Care Act, Republican senators on Thursday still had not decided whether to revive a proposal to replace former President Barack Obama’s health care law with one of their own, or to simply repeal it and work on a replacement later.

The choice is unpalatable: The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Thursday that the latest version of the bill to repeal and replace the health law would increase the number of people without health insurance by 15 million next year and by 22 million in 2026. Those figures are the same as the estimates in the budget office’s previous analysis, despite numerous changes to the bill intended to win votes. Continue reading “Senate Leaders Press for Health Care Vote, but on Which Bill?”

CBO: GOP Plan Would Spike Premiums, Cut 32M From Insurance Rolls

The following article by the Roll Call staff was posted on RollCall.com July 19, 2017:

Credit: Oscar Gronner

A new Senate GOP health care plan would result in 32 million more people without health insurance, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis released Wednesday. The measure, similar to a 2015 bill passed by the Senate, would save $473 billion over a decade.

According to the analysis from Congress’ nonpartisan budget scorekeeper, average premiums in the individual marketplace would increased by about 25 percent next year, increasing to 5o percent by 2020 and 100 percent by 2026.

“Under this legislation, about half of the nation’s population would live in areas having no insurer participating in the nongroup market in 2020 because of downward pressure on enrollment and upward pressure on premiums. That share would continue to increase, extending to about three-quarters of the population by 2026,” CBO wrote on its website.  Continue reading “CBO: GOP Plan Would Spike Premiums, Cut 32M From Insurance Rolls”