Senate

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Aug. Health Reform Looks Impossible

Divisions among lawmakers may make reaching goal impossible

(Newser) - President Obama has called for the passage of a health care bill by August—but that would require an unusually smooth few weeks on Capitol Hill, Politico reports. The Senate Finance Committee hasn’t released a version of the bill planned for early June; disagreements among Democrats in both chambers...

Both Parties Will Use Sotomayor to Push Agendas

Parties hope to inspire support through questioning

(Newser) - Nobody expects Sonia Sotomayor to have serious trouble winning confirmation to the Supreme Court; the hearings that start today will be battles for American hearts and minds, with both parties seeing them as an opportunity to position themselves on key issues, the Washington Post reports. Aiming to ignite their base,...

It's Official: Burris Won't Run

(Newser) - Roland Burris made it official this afternoon: He won't run for a full term next year, the Chicago Tribune reports. “I love serving the people of Illinois,” the current holder of President Obama's old Senate seat said. But “political races have become far too expensive in...

Kerry Plans 'Hard Look at Afghanistan'

Foreign Relations Committee must ensure effort is 'Afghan, not American'

(Newser) - The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will “take a hard look at Afghanistan” in the coming months, John Kerry tells GlobalPost. The committee hasn’t yet publicly scrutinized the administration’s effort in the country, but “we are not going to abrogate our responsibility,” says the senator, who...

Burris Won't Run for Re-Election

(Newser) - Roland Burris won't run for re-election to his Senate seat, both Chicago papers are reporting. The Illinois senator intends to stay in office through the end of his term in January 2011 but figures he can't raise enough money to mount a re-election campaign. In fact, he's raised a measly...

Baldwin to CNN Anchor: I'll Run If I Want To
Baldwin to CNN Anchor: I'll Run If I Want To
OPINION
Jul 9, 2009 3:56 PM CDT

Baldwin to CNN Anchor: I'll Run If I Want To

Would-be pol threatens to discuss hit-and-run bust...whoops

(Newser) - CNN’s Jack Cafferty sneered at Alec Baldwin’s possible entry into politics yesterday, noting that while newly sworn-in Sen. Al Franken is “Harvard educated,” Baldwin’s “credentials are questionable”—and the NYU grad is having none of it. “Perhaps New York University should print...

Reid Pulls Plug on GOP-Friendly Health Plan

(Newser) - Harry Reid yesterday pulled the plug on painstaking efforts to win bipartisan support for health care reform, telling Max Baucus to drop a proposal, aimed at wooing Republicans, that would tax health benefits and leave out a public insurance option. The Senate majority leader told Baucus, the Finance Committee chairman...

Franken Officially Sworn In
 Franken Officially Sworn In 
Jul 7, 2009 12:19 PM CDT

Franken Officially Sworn In

(Newser) - Eight months after the election, Al Franken finally became Minnesota’s junior senator today, Politico reports. Joe Biden swore the former funnyman in on the same Bible late Democratic Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone used. “Congratulations Senator,” said the vice president, causing the Senate gallery to erupt in cheers....

Franken Plays It So Straight It's Funny

But doggone it, people like him

(Newser) - Al Franken the comedian is finally becoming Al Franken the senator, and his Senate colleagues were quick to demonstrate yesterday that, doggone it, they like him, writes Dana Milbank in the Washington Post. The only humor at a welcoming press conference was (apparently) unintentional, as Majority Leader Harry Reid intoned,...

Krugman: Yes, We Can Afford Health Care
Krugman: Yes, We Can Afford Health Care 
OPINION
Jul 6, 2009 9:43 AM CDT

Krugman: Yes, We Can Afford Health Care

Kennedy-helmed HELP committee delivers feasible, cheap plan

(Newser) - The Congressional Budget Office has spoken: We can afford universal health care. Sure, we should have known that all along, writes Paul Krugman of the New York Times. Every other advanced country has it and spends less than we do. But last week the notoriously tight-pursed CBO scored a proposal...

Franken Victory Could be Nightmare for Harry Reid

Majority leader faces 'a lot more pressure'

(Newser) - Al Franken brings Harry Reid a potential extra vote—but he also brings the Senate majority leader a massive headache, Politico reports. “What’s really changed for us?” says a leadership aide. “Nothing, really. Except there’s a lot more pressure.” That may be an understatement: Democrats...

60 Votes No Quick Fix for Senate Dems

Absences, diverse opinions could prove stumbling blocks

(Newser) - With the Minnesota election finally settled, Senate Democrats have 60 potential votes now—but that won’t guarantee smooth sailing, the New York Times reports. Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd may often be out sick, and a range of viewpoints means the caucus won’t likely “walk in lockstep,...

Don't Expect Laughs From Sen. Franken
Don't Expect Laughs From Sen. Franken
OPINION
Jul 1, 2009 5:34 AM CDT

Don't Expect Laughs From Sen. Franken

During campaign he was wonky and even a bit boring

(Newser) - Liberals may be hoping for biting wit and conservatives for embarrassing shtick, but according to Bob Benenson of CQPolitics, Al Franken is likely to disappoint both when he finally arrives in the Senate. Throughout his campaign Franken displayed an impressive mastery of Minnesota issues and made clear his candidacy was...

Coleman Concedes to Franken
 Coleman Concedes to Franken 
updated
Jun 30, 2009 3:16 PM CDT

Coleman Concedes to Franken

(Newser) - Norm Coleman isn't going to drag out Minnesota's Senate fight any longer. Coleman conceded the race to Al Franken today, hours after the state's Supreme Court decreed that Democrat Franken was the rightful winner of November's election, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "Further litigation damages the unity of our...

Minnesota Supremes: Franken Won Senate Race

(Newser) - The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled unanimously in favor of Democrat Al Franken in the Senate election battle there, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. The court decided that Republican Norm Coleman’s challenge of a lower court’s ruling did not merit reconsideration, the Pioneer Press adds. Though Coleman may...

After 24 Years, Kerry Comes Into His Own

No longer aloof, he's interested in local issues, collaboration

(Newser) - John Kerry is a changed man, his colleagues tell the Boston Globe. Gone is the seemingly aloof Kerry known for his solo speeches and patrician habits. These days Kerry is a consensus builder, holding weekly strategy sessions of the kind his state's senior senator is known for. Kerry’s also...

Blame Founding Fathers for Paralysis on Climate Change

Minority's outsize power prevents real change: Tomasky

(Newser) - Barack Obama's narrow victory last week, when the House passed the climate change bill by just 7 votes, raises the question of why it's so tough to get change enacted even when the president is popular and his party has majorities in both houses of Congress. The problem Democrats face...

Critics Blast Congress for Lack of Staff Diversity

NFL hiring rule may translate to Capitol Hill

(Newser) - Congressional staffs are so overwhelmingly white that Capitol Hill needs its own version of the NFL rule requiring teams hiring a head coach to interview at least one person of color, critics tell the Hill. Frustrated staffers, lobbyists, and aides point out that even though more minorities are being elected,...

Ex-Exec: Insurers Rip Off Customers
Ex-Exec: Insurers Rip Off Customers
Jun 24, 2009 8:10 PM CDT

Ex-Exec: Insurers Rip Off Customers

Senate panel hears of junk policies, efforts to dump sick peope

(Newser) - In the latest battle in the public vs. private health insurance debate, private insurers took a beating today on Capitol Hill. The gist, as presented by a Senate report and testimony from a former PR executive: Insurance companies routinely make consumers pay for bills the companies themselves should cover, sell...

Burris Won't Face Perjury Charges: Ill. Prosecutor

Evidence on Blago contacts insufficient

(Newser) - Sen. Roland Burris will not be charged with perjury for neglecting to tell an Illinois House impeachment panel about additional discussions he had with associates of then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the State Journal-Register reports. While Burris did omit conversations about the Senate appointment with members of Blagojevich’s inner circle, they...

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