Senate Democrats

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Dems Balking at Obama Jobs Bill

Some lawmakers want to break up $447B bill

(Newser) - President Obama is touring the country trying to sell his $447 billion jobs plan to voters but even some lawmakers from his own party are still skeptical, the New York Times finds. Some Democrats, balking at certain portions of the American Jobs Act, say they cannot support the bill as...

Harry Reid: House 'Having Trouble' on Debt Ceiling

Caucuses to meet this morning in scramble to resolve crisis

(Newser) - Harry Reid tossed some zingers at Republicans last night after they failed to vote on John Boehner’s debt ceiling plan. Reid adjourned the Senate just before 11pm, the Hill reports, saying, “I apologize to everyone for the late hour, but we've been waiting for the House to...

GOP Senate to Force Dems to Raise Debt Ceiling Solo?

They're toying with the idea of withholding all support

(Newser) - With the United States poised to crash into its $14.294 trillion debt ceiling no later than May 16, Senate Republicans are considering letting Democrats raise it all on their own, with a straight party vote, reports the Huffington Post . Republicans have been insisting on spending cuts and reforms in...

27% of Senate Press Releases Taunt Other Side

Professor analyzes writings, finds lots of name calling

(Newser) - This could explain why Congress is having such a hard time agreeing on a budget: Its members are too busy taunting one another. A Harvard professor analyzed the writings of Congress members, and found that about 27% of the time, they're just insulting each other. “It’s jarring and...

Lawmakers Busy Sniping as Budget Talks Stall

Obama calls White House meeting as deadline looms

(Newser) - The federal government is careening rapidly toward a shutdown, so Democrats and Republicans alike are scrambling to ... lob political grenades at each other. Still. A roundup of the latest:
  • President Obama today invited John Boehner, Harry Reid, and other top lawmakers to the White House tomorrow morning to "urge
...

GOP Wants to Make Unbalanced Budget Illegal

Mandate has full support from Republican senators, none from Dems

(Newser) - The GOP is hoping to tack a 28th amendment on to the Constitution: one that would mandate a balanced budget. All 47 GOP senators are behind the proposal, which was announced yesterday, but "the whole thing is a long shot," an analyst tells Reuters . Earlier attempts have fallen...

Dems Offer $33B in Cuts to Revive Budget Talks

But Senate democrats worry they're capitulating too easily

(Newser) - The White House jolted budget negotiations back to life yesterday, getting Senate Democrats to agree to $33 billion in cuts in the hopes of finding middle ground with John Boehner and Co., Politico reports. Joe Biden met with Democratic leadership yesterday evening, and emerged saying that the Senate and president...

Senate Dems Move to Zap DOMA

Introduce bill to repeal ban on gay marriage

(Newser) - It was another day of undoing in Congress: As House Republicans moved to dismantle financial reform yesterday, Democrats over in the Senate were fixing to make the Defense of Marriage Act go away. "It is time to right this wrong," Dianne Feinstein said in introducing the legislation. "...

Government Shutdown Likely Averted, for Two Weeks

Democrats respond favorably to John Boehner's plan

(Newser) - Looks like a government shutdown has been avoided—for two weeks, at least. Democrats responded favorably last night to a Republican plan for a temporary, two-week extension that would allow the government to continue operating. The trade-off? It also requires a first installment of $4 billion in budget cuts to...

Senate Dems to Propose Their Own Cuts

Bill designed as a compromise, or at least, to look like one

(Newser) - Senate Democrats have informed the White House that they’re working on a seven-month spending bill with some significant cuts in discretionary spending, in the hopes of avoiding a government shutdown, one aide tells Politico . Though they haven't shared a number, an aide says they plan to target 211 programs...

GOP to Try Two-Week Spending Bill

Stopgap measure is pro-rated version of original plan

(Newser) - With no way to get their $61 billion in cuts through the Senate, House Republicans are now pushing a two-week stopgap spending plan in hopes of preventing a government shutdown. The new measure is to be a pro-rated version of the original plan, which means it will include some $4...

Rebel Senate Dems Eye Health Care Repeal

Centrists target individual mandate

(Newser) - A group of centrist Senate Democrats is looking into ways to repeal the new health care law's individual mandate—the heart of health care reform, and a key target for Republicans. West Virginia's Joe Manchin and at least three other senators—all from states President Obama lost in 2008 and...

Sen. Kent Conrad to Retire
 Sen. Kent Conrad to Retire 
Jan 18, 2011 11:16 AM CST

Sen. Kent Conrad to Retire

North Dakota Democrat doesn't want to be distracted by campaign

(Newser) - Sen. Kent Conrad will not run for re-election in 2012, he announced today, saying he will concentrate instead on reducing the national debt and dependence on foreign oil. "It is more important I spend my time and energy trying to solve these problems than to be distracted by a...

Harry Reid May Rewrite Filibuster Rules

Democrats complain current system is being abused

(Newser) - Harry Reid is pushing forward with a plan to reform the filibuster procedure in the Senate—and at least make it harder for Republicans to gum up the works with the mere threat of one, reports the Washington Post . Nothing's guaranteed, of course, but all returning Democratic senators are on...

Dems Stonewall GOP's Attempts to Alter START

Amendments would have effectively killed treaty

(Newser) - Senate Democrats have turned back Republican efforts to change a new arms control treaty with Russia. By a vote of 64-33, the Senate rejected a measure that would have increased the number of weapons inspectors. If adopted, the amendment would have effectively killed the treaty, forcing US and Russian officials...

Gillibrand, Schumer: We'll Pass New 9/11 Health Bill

Revamped version said to pay for itself

(Newser) - Smile, Jon Stewart : the fight for a 9/11 health care bill may not be over, despite Republicans having blocked it weeks ago. New York’s senators have edited their bill to provide care for first responders, and they hold that the new version will "pay for itself," Reuters...

Sen. Wyden Has Prostate Cancer, May Miss Votes

Democrat will undergo surgery next week

(Newser) - Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden has been diagnosed with early-state prostate cancer and will undergo surgery next week. The long-term prognosis is good for the 61-year-old from Oregon, but he will miss votes tomorrow and next week, potentially complicating Democratic efforts to gather 60 votes to pass measures including the START...

Democrats: Fine, We'll Pass Your Crummy Tax Deal

Bill to see vote this week, says House majority leader

(Newser) - Democrats haven't stopped complaining about President Obama’s tax cut deal—one House member even called it Obama's "Gettysburg"—but it looks like they’ll pass it anyway, Time reports. “We're not going to hold this thing up at the end of the day,” said Chris...

Senate Begins Debate on $858B Tax Cut Bill

Deems House objections 'irrelevant'

(Newser) - The Senate voted to begin debate on a bill based on Barack Obama’s tax cut deal last night, with the final vote expected to be held Monday. The Senate’s version of the bill will add $858 billion to the deficit over 10 years, the Wall Street Journal reports....

Senate Democrats Warm to Obama's Tax Deal

But Biden makes little progress in the House

(Newser) - Democrats are coming around on the tax cut deal President Obama struck with Republicans—at least in the Senate. Yesterday, the White House was showing off independent forecasts predicting that the concessions Obama won in the deal could create up to 2.2 million jobs, the Washington Post reports. “...

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