Tag Archives: US Senate

The Hill reports: GOP Sen. James Lankford (Okla.) on Tuesday vocalized opposition to making Washington, D.C. the 51st state in the union, arguing that the nation’s capital has not had voting representatives in Congress for some time and that “no one’s compelled to actually” live there. “Any individual that moves to Washington, D.C., understands that Washington, D.C. is unique,” Lankford …

CNN reports: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke out against the Democrats’ voting legislation that faces a key test vote at 5:30 p.m. ET today. He described it as a “transparent plan to tilt every election in America permanently in their favor,” saying that it would let Democrats “take a red pen to election laws in each of the 50 …

From an op-ed published by the Washington Post: I will not support an action that damages our democracy because someone else did so previously or might do so in the future. I do not accept a new standard by which important legislation can only pass on party-line votes — and when my party is again in the Senate minority, I …

The Hill reports: A coalition of progressive organizations on Monday announced the launch of a $1.5 million television ad campaign targeting centrist Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) over her opposition to filibuster reform and a $15-an-hour minimum wage. Twenty Arizona groups joined Just Democracy, a coalition of over 40 “Black and Brown-led organizations” promoting Democracy reform, in unveiling two hard-hitting …

The Des Moines Register reports: Fewer than a third of Iowa’s likely voters say they would vote to reelect Republican Chuck Grassley if the U.S. Senate elections were held today, a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows. Grassley has not yet said whether he will seek an eighth term in 2022. But the new Iowa Poll appears to show …

The New York Daily News reports: Millions of elderly Americans on Medicare would get dental, vision and hearing insurance added to their health benefits under a proposal pushed Sunday by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Americans age 65 and older have since the 1960s received subsidized health care coverage under Medicare — but Schumer said the program’s …

NBC News reports: On Friday, Texas Senator Ted Cruz took aim at critical race theory — the much-derided school-age teaching about America’s history of racism — calling the set of teachings “every bit as racist as Klansmen in white sheets.” In an appearance at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Road to Majority Conference in Duluth, Georgia, Republican Cruz condemned CRT, …

The Washington Post reports: Senate Republicans vowed Thursday to block voting legislation from advancing later this month, rejecting a key Democratic senator’s compromise offer that adopted some GOP ideas in a bid to break partisan gridlock on the issue. The pledge from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) all but guarantees that Republicans will filibuster a sweeping voting bill that …

Roll Call reports: Republican senators are expressing mounting impatience with the federal mask mandate for travelers, arguing that the lifting of restrictions in most public places should extend to airplanes, rail and transit. In a markup of rail and safety legislation today, the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee rejected along party lines an amendment introduced by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., …

The Associated Press reports: Patricia McCloskey pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment and was fined $2,000. Her husband, Mark McCloskey, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fourth-degree assault and was fined $750. Mark McCloskey, who announced in May that he was running for a U.S. Senate seat in Missouri, was unapologetic after the hearing. “I’d do it again,” he said from the courthouse …

Politico reports: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced his support on Wednesday for repealing the 2002 war authorization for Iraq, vowing to hold a vote on scrapping the outdated measure later this year. The announcement from Schumer (D-N.Y.) comes as the House is expected to pass Rep. Barbara Lee’s (D-Calif.) bill on Thursday that would repeal the 2002 law, which …

The Hill reports: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) today urged the Biden administration to ensure protections for U.S. athletes competing in the 2022 Winter Olympics, warning about China potentially trying to collect athletes’ DNA, among other concerns. The senator detailed his concerns in a letter to President Biden that requested more information on how the U.S. will prepare for next year’s …

The Washington Post reports: The Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a measure that would establish a federal holiday for Juneteenth, the day that marks the end of slavery in the United States. The bill now heads to the Democratic-led House, where it is likely to be approved, although the timing remains uncertain. Unanimous Senate passage of the bill was an …

The Hill reports: A Senate committee next week will hold a hearing for legislation to make Washington, D.C., the country’s 51st state, the District’s House Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) announced on Tuesday. “The Senate hearing shows that momentum continues to build for our D.C. statehood bill,” the longtime D.C. House delegate said in a statement, noting that this is …

Mediaite reports: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) reiterated his belief Sunday that the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was a “non-violent” gathering. He referenced an eyewitness account, saying the vast majority were “in a jovial mood,” and while “they were serious, they weren’t violent.” “I think it’s extremely important to create an accurate historical record of exactly what happened …

The military blog Task & Purpose reports: A White senator from the South told America’s first Black defense secretary on Thursday that President Joe Biden’s nascent administration has witnessed the birth of racism and sexism within the military. The cause of this completely new phenomenon is allegedly the anti-extremism and diversity training that troops have taken so far this year, …

NBC News reports: Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced Thursday he’s running for U.S. Senate, becoming the third major candidate seeking the Republican nomination to take on Democrat Mark Kelly. Brnovich, who is in his second term as the state’s top law-enforcement officer, is the best-known GOP candidate and the only one with political experience. Brnovich has drawn the ire …

Politico reports: Republican Richard Shelby is backing his former chief of staff Katie Boyd Britt in the race to succeed him in the Senate, siding against former President Donald Trump’s favored candidate, Rep. Mo Brooks. “She’s like family. She’d make a good candidate. She’s probably the best-qualified candidate to come along in a long time,” Shelby said in an interview. …

CBS News reports: A bipartisan group of senators reached a deal Thursday on infrastructure legislation, after President Biden ended negotiations with a team of Republican senators on Tuesday. The group of five Republicans and five Democrats released a joint statement Thursday afternoon saying they had reached an agreement, although they did not offer any details about it. “Our group – …

The Missouri Times reports: After months of speculation, Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler jumped into the U.S. Senate race Thursday — becoming the first congressional official and woman to do so. Hartzler, 60, drew on her faith while criticizing President Joe Biden and “socialist Democrat policies” in her campaign speech. Hartzler joins Attorney General Eric Schmitt, former Gov. Eric Greitens, and attorney …