Tag: U.S. Senate

McConnell says bill that would make Election Day a federal holiday is a ‘power grab’ by Democrats

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Jan. 30 that the bill that would make Election Day a federal holiday would also “victimize” taxpayers. (C-Span)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday that a Democratic bill that would make Election Day a federal holiday is a “power grab,” sparking a fierce backlash online.

McConnell was speaking about H.R. 1, legislation that Democrats have made a centerpiece of their agenda since retaking the House earlier this month.

In remarks on the Senate floor, McConnell (R-Ky.) said Democrats “want taxpayers on the hook for generous new benefits for federal bureaucrats and government employees,” including making Election Day a “new paid holiday for government workers.”

View the complete January 30 article by Felecia Sonmez on The Washington Post website here.

Senate panel postpones William Barr’s confirmation vote amid Democrats’ concerns

Credit: Time Warner via Associated Press

A planned Senate Judiciary Committee vote on William P. Barr’s nomination to serve as attorney general has been delayed, as Democrats continue to raise concerns about whether he would allow special counsel Robert S. Mueller III to finish his probe and publicize the results unimpeded.

The delay, which is customary for high-profile nominations, is not expected to impede Barr’s chances of being confirmed by the full Senate. But it is the latest reflection of the deep partisan tension surrounding Barr’s nomination, most of which centers on Democrats’ desire to protect Mueller’s probe from being unduly constrained.

The committee was scheduled to vote on 46 nominations on Tuesday, including Barr’s, but decided to delay until Feb. 7.

View the complete January 29 article by Karoun Demirjian on The Washington Post website here.

DNC on Shutdown Deal

DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement after leaders in Washington reached an agreement to reopen the government that does not include funding for a border wall:

“What was the point of all the pain that Donald Trump inflicted on federal workers? What was the point of the missed paychecks, the long lines at food banks, the chaos at our airports, and the sick children without health care? The longest shutdown in American history was avoidable, unnecessary, and disastrous for the country. And the American people know exactly who’s to blame: Donald Trump.

“Thanks to the steadfast leadership of Democrats in Congress, hundreds of thousands of American workers will finally have a reprieve from the suffering Donald Trump has caused. Democrats have been prepared to work on a border security bill from the start of this ordeal; our leaders offered multiple proposals to keep the government open, including a strong bipartisan solution passed by voice vote in the Senate. And yet, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress failed to do their jobs for 35 days. The American people will hold them accountable, and Democrats will fight tooth and nail to prevent a shutdown from happening again.”

The case for ending shutdowns, once and for all

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) criticized on Jan. 22 President Trump’s new proposal to end the partial government shutdown. (The Washington Post)

The record-long impasse — along with the failures of past efforts — makes a strong argument for passing a bill that would take the option off the table.

Hundreds of thousands of federal workers will soon go without their second paycheck this month, as the 32-day shutdown drags on with no end in sight. But if there’s a silver lining for them, it might be this: The messier this gets, the more momentum there could be for a mechanism to effectively outlaw future shutdowns.

Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) on Tuesday introduced a bill called the Stop STUPIDITY Act. In the event of a lapse in government funding, the act would reinstate funding levels from the previous fiscal year — except for Congress and the office of the president, which would not receive funding until they reached an agreement.

Warner’s Republican colleague Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) reintroduced his own proposal last week. Rather than shut down the government in the absence of a budget, it would institute an across-the-board 1 percent funding cut for all agencies and would cut another 1 percent every 90 days that no agreement is reached.

View the complete January 23 article by Aaron Blake on the The Washington Post website.

We are former senators. The Senate has long stood in defense of democracy — and must again.

Dear Senate colleagues,

As former members of the U.S. Senate, Democrats and Republicans, it is our shared view that we are entering a dangerous period, and we feel an obligation to speak up about serious challenges to the rule of law, the Constitution, our governing institutions and our national security.

We are on the eve of the conclusion of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation and the House’s commencement of investigations of the president and his administration. The likely convergence of these two events will occur at a time when simmering regional conflicts and global power confrontations continue to threaten our security, economy and geopolitical stability.

It is a time, like other critical junctures in our history, when our nation must engage at every level with strategic precision and the hand of both the president and the Senate.

View the complete December 10 commentary by Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), Bill Bradley (D-N.J.), Richard Bryan (D-Nev.), Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.), Max Cleland (D-Ga.), William Cohen (R-Maine), Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Al D’Amato (R-N.Y.), John C. Danforth (R-Mo.), Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.), Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), David Durenberger (R-Minn.), Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), Wyche Fowler (D-Ga.), Bob Graham(D-Fla.), Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Gary Hart (D-Colo.), Bennett Johnston (D-La.), Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Paul Kirk (D-Mass.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), Larry Pressler (R-S.D.), David Pryor (D-Ark.), Don Riegle (D-Mich.), Chuck Robb (D-Va.), Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Jim Sasser (D-Tenn.), Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), John W. Warner (R-Va.), Lowell Weicker (I-Conn.), Tim Wirth(D-Colo.) on The Washington Post website here.

Schumer gets ready to go on the offensive

After spending the past two years trying to protect 10 incumbent Democrats in pro-Trump states, the Senate minority leader is ready to put Republicans on the defensive, knowing the GOP will have a tougher electoral map to defend in 2020.

Republicans will have a bigger Senate majority next year — 53 seats compared to 51 seats now — but will also have more seats that Democrats are looking to pick off in the next election cycle.

Schumer has started flexing his muscles in the lame-duck session of Congress. He’s pushing Republicans to add measures such as protecting special counsel Robert Mueller and eliminating a question about citizenship from the U.S. census to a year-end spending package.

He has also dismissed the possibility of reviving an immigration deal he offered to President Trump earlier this year that would fully fund the proposed border wall in exchange for protections for immigrants who came to the country illegally at a young age.

View the complete December 6 article by Alexander Bolton on The Hill website here.

Senators accuse Saudi crown prince of complicity in Khashoggi’s killing

Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) on Dec. 4 said he would work to impose sanctions on Saudi officials involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (The Washington Post)

Senators emerged from an unusual closed-door briefing with the CIA director on Tuesday and accused the Saudi crown prince of complicity in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

In some of their strongest statements to date, lawmakers said evidence presented by the U.S. spy agency overwhelmingly pointed to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s involvement in the assassination.

“There’s not a smoking gun — there’s a smoking saw,” said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), referring to the bone saw that investigators believe was used to dismember Khashoggi after he was killed Oct. 2 by a team of Saudi agents inside the country’s consulate in Istanbul.

View the complete November 4 article by Shane Harris and Karoun Demirjian on The Washington Post website here.

Clock ticks down on GOP Congress

Lawmakers are facing an end-of-the-year traffic jam with legislation piling up and a tight schedule that leaves them little wiggle room.

Leadership is juggling a backlog of must-pass bills and nominations as well as eleventh-hour requests from rank-and-file members as legislators try to cram as much as possible into the final days of the work year. Republicans, in particular, are feeling pressure to make a last-ditch effort as they prepare to cede control of the House to Democrats in January.

But the schedule got further scrambled following former President George H.W. Bush’s death, with Washington expected to dedicate days to mourning the 41st president. House Republicans announced Monday they are canceling votes for the week, while the Senate is delaying the start of its work week.

View the complete December 4 article by Jordain Carney on The Hill website here.

Karin Housley twists Tina Smith’s finances to allege profits from big pharma

In a recent Minnesota Republican ad for U.S. Senate, a man and woman clink flutes of champagne on the beach as text rolls across the screen: “Tina Smith loves the good life.”

Smith is defending her U.S. Senate seat on Nov. 6. She was appointed to the position earlier this year after fellow Democrat Al Franken stepped down following sexual misconduct allegations.

The “good life” ad comes from Smith’s Republican challenger, state Sen. Karin Housley, and the text on screen quickly departs from the beach scene’s serenity.

View the complete October 31 article by Kyra Haas on the PolitiFact.com website here.

DEBATE: Housley Stands With Big Pharma, Not Minnesotans

Sen. Smith is taking on Big Pharma and getting things done for families affected by the opioid crisis

Karin Housley has repeatedly stood with Big Pharma over Minnesotans, whether it’s supporting tax cuts for big drug companies or voting to line the pockets of opioid manufacturers. Housley supported the Republican tax law that gave a trillion-dollar tax cut to big corporations, including prescription drug companies. And she was one of only six people to vote against overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation (60-6) to hold opioid manufacturers accountable and require them to help pay for treatment programs. During debate on the floor, GOP lawmakers urged their colleagues to “have a spine” and vote for the bill, and said the pharmaceutical companies had “lied to the public.” Housley remained unmoved.

In contrast, the first thing Sen. Smith did when she got to the Senate was take on Big Pharma. Her first bill helps to lower the cost of prescription medicines by closing a corporate loophole that giant drug companies use to game the system and keep affordable generic drugs off the market. She also introduced the Affordable Medications Act, which would make prescription drugs more affordable, penalize drug companies for hiking up drug prices, invest in research for better medications, and prevent companies from gaming the system to block competition and keep drug prices high.

And just last week, major bipartisan opioids legislation that Sen. Smith helped write—which will provide $1.5 billion in funding for states, tribes and communities to bolster their prevention, treatment and recovery efforts—was signed into law by the President.

FACT: HOUSLEY HAS REPEATEDLY STOOD WITH BIG PHARMA OVER MINNESOTANS

Housley Voted Against Imposing A Fee On Pharmaceutical Companies “To Fund Prevention And Treatment Programs And County Social Services To Address The Opioid Addiction Epidemic.” “The Minnesota Senate passed a bill Thursday that imposes $20 million in annual fees on pharmaceutical companies to fund prevention and treatment programs and county social services to address the opioid addiction epidemic.”  The bill passed 60-6. [SF730, SJ8829, 5/10/18; MPR, 5/10/18]

Star Tribune Headline: Tsunami Of Lobbying Greets Bipartisan Effort At Minnesota Capitol To Tax Opioids [Star Tribune,5/05/18]

Housley Said She Was For Repeal And Replace. “Housley: Saying she was for repeal and replace, which didn’t happen due to the slim Republican margin in the Senate — ‘Which is another reason I’m running.’” [Rochester Post Bulletin, 7/10/18]

Bill Cut Taxes Imposed On Drug Makers And Health Insurers. “Repeal the taxes on health insurers, prescription drug makers and medical devices. The bill seeks to lift the annual tax Obamacare imposed on drug makers and health insurers and It would also get rid of the 2.3% excise tax on the sale of certain medical devices that was put in place. The taxes would disappear in either 2017 or 2018, depending on the levy.” [CNN, 7/14/17]

Housley “Cheered The Tax Cut Bill[.]” “When it comes to policy, Housley is running more or less as a standard-issue Republican: She favors repealing the Affordable Care Act, has cheered the tax cut bill that was signed into law last year, and opposes abortion rights.” [Minnpost, 9/06/18]

Bloomberg: “U.S. Drugmakers Will Be One Of The Biggest Beneficiaries Of The Repatriation Portion Of The Bill.” “U.S. drugmakers will be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the repatriation portion of the bill. They’ve been sitting on billions of dollars in overseas earnings and can now bring home that cash at a reduced rate. While the tax bill has been promoted by Republicans as a job creator, the reality is that drug companies are more likely to return the money to shareholders, or use it to make acquisitions.”  [Bloomberg, 12/15/17]

Fortune: Pfizer Is The Latest Drug Maker To Reap Billions From Trump’s Tax Cuts [Fortune, 1/30/18]

FACT: TINA SMITH IS TAKING ON BIG PHARMA AND GETTING THINGS DONE FOR MINNESOTA FAMILIES AFFECTED BY THE OPIOID CRISIS

KMSP Headline: Sen. Smith Taking On ‘Big Pharma’ [Fox9, 7/08/18]

“Smith Has Taken Aim At ‘Big Pharma’” With a Bill Which “Aims To Increase Access To More Affordable, Generic Drugs[.]”  “Smith has taken aim at ‘Big Pharma’ since being sworn in as a senator. She’s introduced two bills this year: one aims to increase access to more affordable, generic drugs, while the other would require the pharmaceutical companies to explain why drug prices are what they are.” [Fox9, 7/08/18]

WCCO Headline: Sen. Tina Smith Pushing Bill To Lower Prescription Drug Prices  [WCCO, 3/25/18]

Smith Introduced The “Affordable Medications Act” Aiming To Lower The Cost Of Prescription Drugs.  “Senator Tina Smith has introduced a bill aiming to lower the cost of prescription drugs, while making the marketplace more competitive to the benefit of the consumer.  It’s called the ‘Affordable Medications Act,’ and was introduced earlier this week.” [KBJR, 9/07/18]

Smith Wrote Part Of The Opioid Bill.  “The U.S. Senate this week passed new opioid legislation written in part by Senator Tina Smith. ‘It will support more medication assisted treatment and it gets targeted resources to states and tribes to expand treatment and recovery,’ said Sen. Smith. ‘All of these things will help stem the tide of this terrible epidemic which is killing thousands of Minnesotans and Americans every year.’” [Fox9, 9/18/18]

President Trump Signed The Opioid Bill, “A Rare Piece Of Legislation That Garnered Bipartisan Support. “President Trump signed a sweeping opioids bill into law Wednesday, a rare piece of legislation that garnered bipartisan support. The bill addresses numerous aspects of the opioid crisis, including prevention, treatment and recovery.” [10/24/18]