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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Senate

Senate stories: 664 news summaries

1 - 20 of 664 Stories | 1 2 3 4 5 ... 34 Next >>

Nate Silver

Most Red State Dems Can Vote for Health Care

Only Blanche Lincoln faces 2010 fight, and she'll be a tough sell

(Newser) - The main reason Senate Democrats have a prayer of passing health care reform is that not many of them are up for reelection next year, says Nate Silver. Only a third of the Senate is up for re-election in 2010, and most of the Democrats in that group come from... More »

NATE SILVER & CO.

Senators See Upcoming Vote on Obama—Not Health

Eye constituents' votes in 2008, not polls on health care

(Newser) - The upcoming Senate debate on health care reform, like the House vote before it, will be more a referendum on President Obama than a reflection of constituents’ concerns, Andrew Gelman, Nate Silver, and Daniel Lee write. What happened in the House is clear: 31 of 39 Democrats who voted no... More »

OPINION


 GOP Traffic-Jam Ploy 
 Is Snarling Senate 

Stalling tactics are making Democrats turn on each other

(Newser) - Senate Democrats are starting to turn on each other like angry drivers stuck in rush-hour traffic thanks to Republican obstructionism, writes EJ Dionne. Republican senators are eating every word they once said against filibusterism and are stalling even legislation that they support in a Machiavellian effort to keep the Democrats... More »

 Reid Rolls Out 
 Senate Health 
 Bill for Sat. 
 Showdown 

Public option weaker than House's, abortion restriction less severe

(Newser) - Harry Reid rolled out the Senate’s combined health care reform bill last night, earning oohs and ahhs from fellow Democrats, particularly over the price tag, and setting the stage for a cloture vote Saturday. The bill would cost a svelte $849 billion over 10 years while reducing the deficit... More »

CBO Estimate: Senate
Health Bill Costs $849B

Figure clears the way for Reid to get measure rolling

(AP) - Legislation headed to the Senate floor would extend health care coverage to 31 million uninsured Americans at a cost of $849 billion over a decade, says a senior Democratic aide. The long-awaited figures come from the Congressional Budget Office, clearing the way for Harry Reid to move forward. The bill... More »

Three Dems Threaten to Block Health Debate

Reid & Co. scramble to appease Lincoln, Nelson and Landrieu

(Newser) - Three Senate Democrats are threatening to prevent the health care reform bill from even making it to the floor of the chamber. Normally it’s a routine procedure to get the 60 votes necessary to open debate on a bill, but Ben Nelson, Blanche Lincoln, and Mary Landrieu are balking... More »

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Senate Mary Landrieu health care reform Ben Nelson Blanche Lincoln

Robert Byrd Now Longest-Serving Legislator Ever

By the senator's count, his career spanned 20,774 days

(AP) - West Virginia Sen. Robert C. Byrd has become the longest-serving lawmaker in congressional history, a milestone to be marked today with a Senate resolution. "I look forward to serving you for the next 56 years and 320 days," Byrd said, adding that he was sorry his late wife... More »

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 Senate Delays Climate Bill 

Cap-and-trade won't be debated at least until spring

(Newser) - Senate Democrats have announced that they won't be debating a major climate bill until sometime in the spring. The delay, which reduces America's bargaining power at next month's Copenhagen conference, reflects weakening support for the controversial "cap-and-trade" bill as unemployment remains high, the Wall Street Journal notes. The bill... More »

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 Hutchison Won't 
 Resign Senate Seat 

Will stay put to fight health care reform, cap and trade

(AP) - Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is challenging Texas Gov. Rick Perry for his job, is planning to keep her US Senate seat until after the state's March gubernatorial primary. Hutchison, a Republican, plans to tell Republican women in a speech in Galveston today that she is stepping down in 2010... More »

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ANALYSIS

Why the Senate Health Bill Will Move at a Crawl

Dems will be lucky to get it through before xmas

(Newser) - The House version of the health bill galloped from introduction to passage in just 10 days, but the Senate's version won't be through until Christmas at the earliest. Suzy Khimm at the New Republic explains the reasons for the snail's pace.
  • The Senate has to vote on a “
... More »

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Steven Pearlstein

Dems Should Embrace a Health Care Filibuster

Open, Senate debate is preferable to backroom negotiations

(Newser) - The Senate is broken, writes Steven Pearlstein , its members so mired in dysfunction they don’t even realize how undemocratic current legislative practice is. The mere threat of a filibuster is enough to kill a bill, a fact that "violates the letter and spirit of the US Constitution."... More »

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Dodd Unveils Sweeping Financial Overhaul Bill

It would create new oversight agencies

(Newser) - Chris Dodd introduced a sweeping financial regulation bill that creates no fewer than three new agencies to oversee the banking industry. Dodd’s bill creates an Agency for Financial Stability to identify systemic risks to the economy as a whole. It entrusts all bank supervision to the Financial Institutions Regulatory... More »

Senate Dems Say Obama Plans Don't Fix Spending

Say legislation isn't aggressive enough on fee-for-service model

(Newser) - Some Democrats in the Senate are worried that reform legislation under consideration doesn't do enough to rein in out-of-control health care spending. President Obama has promised $2 trillion in savings over the next 10 years, but critics say the proposed changes aren't nearly aggressive enough on the current pay-per-visit system... More »

 Senate Health Bill 
 Runs Into Abortion Divide 

Both sides have vocal opponents, could halt bill without compromise

(Newser) - With a last-second concession barring federal dollars from funding abortions, Nancy Pelosi largely skirted the full brunt of the issue, but Harry Reid may not be so lucky. The Senate majority leader likely won't get the 60 votes he needs without similar language— which a Planned Parenthood VP calls a... More »

 Bill Clinton 
 to Corral 
 Senate Dems 
 on Health Care 

Meets with caucus as fight over abortion funding heats up

(AP) - Bill Clinton is expected to speak to Senate Democrats about health care legislation during their weekly caucus today. Clinton's appearance comes as fragile Democratic unity is threatened by abortion opponents in the Senate seeking similar restrictions in the bill to those in the House version passed Saturday. Nebraska Sen. Ben... More »

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 Abortion Dispute Could
 Derail Health Care Bill

Some Dems vow to block final passage

(Newser) - The abortion funding ban included in the health-care bill passed by the House Saturday could doom it down the road, as abortion supporters in the Senate threaten revolt, and those who voted for it in the House vow they won't back the final bill if it's still included, the Washington... More »

JACK CAFFERTY

Obama Can, Should Lock Congress In Until Health Vote

Constitution would allow it, so let's get a yea or nay

(Newser) - Grumpy old man Jack Cafferty is getting tired of Congress dragging out health reform, and wants President Obama to get lawmakers motivated. Using his constitutional powers, Obama should deliver this ultimatum: I’m ordering the Congress to remain in session until both houses vote on a final version of health-care... More »

NEWT GINGRICH & RICK PERRY

 Let States Lead on Health Care 

Federal meddling will only lead to higher prices and crappy care

(Newser) - The states have a handle on health care reform, write Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry, and the federal government urgently needs to take a lesson from them. “Texas, for example, has adopted approaches to controlling health-care costs while improving choice, advancing quality of care and expanding coverage” write the... More »

ELECTION FALLOUT

 Dems Torn: Too Much 
 Change, or Not Enough? 

Do voters want them to ditch presidential agenda, or complete it?

(Newser) - Democrats in Congress reading the tea leaves of Tuesday’s elections find themselves split: were the Republican wins in Virginia and New Jersey a vote of no confidence in the administration’s agenda, or frustration that it isn’t moving fast enough? Most agree on the first step going forward:... More »

  Dodd Declares War With 
  Senate Bank Bill  

Senator readies radical overhaul of finance regulation

(Newser) - A Senate bill that would fundamentally change the structure of banking regulation is headed for a clash with both the House and the White House. Christopher Dodd is readying a proposal to strip the Fed and FDIC of almost all bank-supervision powers, creating in their place a new agency that... More »

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