Related Content: Senate
Senate Thwarts Obama Bid to End Oil/Gas SubsidiesOn The Radar President Obama and the Democratic majority in the Senate tried Thursday to use tax benefits enjoyed by oil and gas companies as a partisan weapon against the sting of rising gasoline prices. It didn’t quite work -- the Senate, with help from four Democrats, defeated a procedural measure aimed at ending the tax benefits -- but the president and his congressional allies argued with gusto that big oil companies and the Republicans who support them are hurting American consumers. |
Poll: Senate Democrats Lead in Florida, OhioOn The Radar Propelled by strong support among women in two swing states, Senate Democrats in Ohio and Florida are sitting on wide leads over their Republican challengers, according to a pair of Quinnipiac University polls that bodes well for Democratic efforts to keep their Senate majority. |
Backbone, Consistency and Standing Your GroundGwen's Take I've spent a fair amount of time this week pondering what it means to stand one's ground. |
PBS NewsHour: Retiring Sens. Snowe, Bingaman: Political Center Is DisappearingWeb content Retiring Senators Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Jeff Bingaman(D-N.M.) think the political middle ground is disappearing in Washington. Gwen talks to them about the current state of politics. |
Senate Rejects GOP Attempt to Advance Keystone XLOn The Radar With gas prices becoming a high-octane campaign issue, the Democratic-led Senate beat back a Republican effort to advance the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline project. Thursday’s vote to attach the project to a must-pass transportation bill failed 56 to 42, with 11 Democrats joining Republicans to support the measure. Sixty votes were needed for passage. |
Senate Rejects Effort to Roll Back Birth Control RuleOn The Radar The Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate today narrowly rejected an amendment by Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., to circumvent a controversial Obama administration rule requiring employers to provide contraceptives. The Obama rule has provoked a passionate election year debate about the line between religious freedom and women's health. |
Sen. Lieberman Cites Dr. Seuss’ MooseOn The Radar Senators often quote weighty historical figures to back up their arguments on the Senate floor. Alexis de Tocqueville is a big favorite. So is Alexander Hamilton. The late Sen. Robert Byrd (D., W. Va.), was famous for citing Roman orators that few of his colleagues had heard of. Then there’s Dr. Seuss. |
Bucking Senate, Obama Appoints Consumer ChiefOn The Radar President Obama touched off a fierce election-year confrontation with Congressional Republicans on Wednesday, defying their deep opposition to appoint Richard Cordray as director of a new consumer protection agency and fill three labor board vacancies. |
Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson to RetireOn The Radar Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska has told supporters he will not seek re-election. His decision was first reported by Politico. In his statement, Nelson said: "Simply put: It is time to move on." Nelson, 70, was facing a tough fight for a third term. His retirement improves the GOP's chances of picking up the Nebraska Senate seat the Democrat has held since 2000, and it enhances the odds of a Republican takeover of the Senate in 2012. |
Lawmakers Reach Deal on Payroll TaxOn The Radar The ice cracked under House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday. A deal to quiet a bruising political eruption over the payroll tax finally took shape -- after relentless criticism from within GOP ranks that House Republicans had dug themselves knee-deep in quicksand. After days of thrashing and teeth-gnashing, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell offered a way out of the mess with a statement underscoring similarities between the measures in the two chambers, rather than differences. |
