Senate

Stories 501 - 520 | << Prev   Next >>

Senate Easily Approves Payroll Tax Cut

It also passes $1T budget bill

(Newser) - No last-minute surprises in the Senate: The chamber easily passed legislation this morning that will keep the payroll tax cut in place for another two months, reports Politico . The framework of the deal, which also extends jobless benefits, had been ironed out last night . It sailed through today on a...

Senate Agrees to Extend Payroll Tax Cut for 60 Days

Package requires Obama make decision on Keystone XL pipeline quickly

(Newser) - It looks like we're getting there. The Senate tonight agreed "in principle" to extend the payroll tax cut through February; they will vote tomorrow, which means the House will do the same next week. Mitch McConnell expressed optimism regarding the deal's fate in the House; if it...

Looks Like Congress Will Avoid That Shutdown

... at least based on the latest rhetoric

(Newser) - The gist of the articles coming out of Washington this evening suggests that lawmakers will manage to strike a spending deal before tomorrow's midnight deadline to avoid a shutdown. Also looking up are prospects for deals to extend the payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits, say the Washington Post...

Congress Passes Wrong Pipeline Bill

House sends along wrong version, Senate passes without noticing

(Newser) - It was a rare moment of bicameral, bipartisan compromise—and also a complete screw-up. The House and Senate hurriedly passed a pipeline safety bill on Tuesday, but not the one they thought they were passing, Politico reports. Thanks to a "clerical error," the House wound up passing an...

Senate Passes Controversial $662B Defense Bill

Would allow US citizens suspected of terrorism to be held without trial

(Newser) - The Senate last night overwhelmingly passed a massive $662 billion defense bill that calls for crippling sanctions against Iran, requires the military to hold suspected terrorists—even those busted on US soil—and would allow detention of American citizens suspected of terrorism indefinitely without trial. The White House has threatened...

Senate Blocks President's Infrastructure Jobs Strategy

$60M third part of Obama work plan shot down

(Newser) - Another piece of President Obama's jobs plan has been defeated in the Senate. A measure to spend $50 billion on infrastructure improvement and $10 billion in seed money for a new infrastructure bank fell short of the 60 votes needed for debate, reports the Washington Post . Every Senate Republican...

Obama's Jobs Bill Fails in Senate

Measure can't overcome filibuster

(Newser) - No Senate miracle for the president's $447 billion jobs bill. As expected , the measure failed to advance in the chamber this evening, reports the Hill . All Republicans and two Democrats (Ben Nelson and Jon Tester) joined together in a filibuster, leaving the measure well short of the necessary 60...

Senate Warns China of Sanctions Over Currency

But measure is likely to die on the House

(Newser) - The Senate voted today to threaten China with higher tariffs on Chinese products made cheap through an artificially undervalued currency, which lawmakers blame for destroying American jobs. The House of Representatives, though, is unlikely to take up the bill, which some American businesses warn could trigger a trade war. The...

Congress Isn't Ready for Massive Terrorist Hit: Critics

What would happen if majority of members killed, incapacitated?

(Newser) - The Washington Post points to an important question that failed to get asked after the FBI arrested Rezwan Ferdaus for allegedly planning an attack on the US Capitol: Is Congress prepared for a catastrophic terrorist strike? If more than half of the members of the House or the Senate were...

Obama Jobs Bill Heads to Senate to Die

Republicans will filibuster

(Newser) - The Senate will hold a vote to begin debate on President Obama's jobs bill today, but Republicans are likely to filibuster the measure, denying it the 60 votes it needs, the AP reports. Republicans have been signaling their opposition, likening the bill to 2009's stimulus, which Republicans regard...

Reid Uses 'Nuclear Option' to Change Senate Rules

Move limits amendments that can be proposed after filibusters

(Newser) - Harry Reid shocked Congress last night when, without warning, he deployed the so-called “nuclear option” to change the Senate’s rules. No, he didn’t get rid of the filibuster. He barred senators from (stay with us) making motions to suspend the rules, a move that allows them to...

Obama Backs Senate's Millionaires Tax

Says jobs bill will guard against Europe debt crisis fallout

(Newser) - President Obama delivered another plea for his jobs bill today, and said he approved of the 5% surtax on millionaires the Senate came up with to pay for it. “I’m fine with the approach they have taken,” Obama said at the press conference, though the New York ...

Senators Make Deal to Avoid Government Shutdown

Lawmakers freed up to act on gridlocked legislation

(Newser) - Ending weeks of political brinkmanship, Congress finessed a dispute over disaster aid tonight and advanced legislation to avoid a partial government shutdown this weekend. The breakthrough came hours after the Federal Emergency Management Agency indicated it had enough money for disaster relief efforts through Friday. That disclosure allowed lawmakers to...

Senate Rejects House Spending Bill

Lawmakers may have to skip recess to avoid shutdown

(Newser) - As expected, the Senate has blocked a House-passed bill that would provide disaster aid and pay to keep federal agencies open, escalating the latest partisan clash over spending. The near-party line vote of 59-36 set up a fresh round of brinksmanship between the Senate and the Republican-run House. A government...

Coburn Holds FAA Hostage With One-Man Filibuster

Agency could face a second shutdown

(Newser) - The FAA could soon be shut down again, costing thousands of workers their jobs and the government $30 million a day in airline ticket taxes, all thanks to a single Republican senator. Tom Coburn is exploiting a Senate procedural rule requiring unanimous consent to switch from working on one bill...

Elizabeth Warren Starts Senate Run Tomorrow

She hopes to unseat Scott Brown in Massachusetts

(Newser) - Look out, Scott Brown: Elizabeth Warren will indeed go after your Senate seat. A host of news services—including the Boston Globe , the Huffington Post , Politico , and the AP —say the consumer advocate will formally launch her 2012 campaign tomorrow in Massachusetts. She's been hinting at a run...

Coburn: 'Good Thing I Can't Pack a Gun' in Senate

Otherwise, those 'cowards' would be in trouble

(Newser) - Today's exercise in whether a politician's joke goes too far, courtesy of Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn: "It's just a good thing I can't pack a gun on the Senate floor," said the Republican, after describing his colleagues as "cowards" and a "bunch...

Pawlenty's Next Move: Senate Run?

GOP divided over lessons of former governor's exit

(Newser) - Now that Tim Pawlenty is no longer eyeing the White House , could his new target be a Senate seat? The head of the Minnesota GOP hopes so. “I think he'd make a heck of a candidate,” Tony Sutton tells Minnesota Public Radio . Pawlenty earlier rejected the idea...

Senate Passes Bill to Raise Debt Ceiling, Sends It to President Obama
 Senate 
 Passes 
 Debt Deal 
Aug 2, 2011 11:46 AM CDT

Senate Passes Debt Deal

No surprises as bill goes to Obama for his signature

(Newser) - Just one more step to go now: The Senate passed the debt ceiling bill this afternoon as expected and sent it along to President Obama for his quick signature, reports MSNBC . The legislation, which passed 74-26, allows the ceiling to be raised just ahead of the midnight default deadline. It...

Debt Ceiling: Senate Votes Down Harry Reid's Plan, But Real Deal Still Being Worked On
 Senate Votes Down 
 Reid's Plan 
debt ceiling
Jul 31, 2011 12:48 PM CDT

Senate Votes Down Reid's Plan

But real deal is still being worked on

(Newser) - As expected, the Senate voted today not to move forward with Harry Reid's debt ceiling proposal in a 50-49 vote. The Wall Street Journal notes that the vote was "anti-climactic," since the real work on hammering out a deal by the end of the day is happening...

Stories 501 - 520 | << Prev   Next >>