Tag Archives: Senate Democratic

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Gun Bill: Republicans May Filibuster Each Amendent For Days, Democrats Warn

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By The Huffington Post News Editors

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans who adamantly opposenew gun restrictions may stall votes on each amendment to the legislation for days, a Senate Democratic leadership aide warned Thursday in a memo,

Many Republicans who are at least somewhat supportive of new gun laws have said they would only go along if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) permits what they described as a full and open amendment process. That means plenty of opportunities to offer tweaks to the legislation and line up votes.

But the memo warned that some senators among the dozen who have vowed to filibuster gun legislation are threatening to maintain their opposition not just to the overall bill, but to every amendment along the way. They could do that, said the aide’s memo, by demanding 60-member cloture votes at every step of the process, potentially burning through four days for every single amendment.

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From: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/11/gun-bill-republicans-filibuster_n_3064133.html

Articles of Interest

Obama Hits Wealthy On The Runway With Air Traffic Control Tower Cuts

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By The Huffington Post News Editors

WASHINGTON — For the most part, the super wealthy are not directly affected by cuts to government services. Private security guards, private schools and private money have a way of blunting the impact of austerity. But the Obama administration is hitting the rich in one place that hurts — on the runway.

Sequestration-related budget cuts will lead to the closure of 149 air traffic control towers across the country, the Federal Aviation Administration announced last week. The decision strikes the type of smaller airports on which the well-heeled rely for private jet travel, in what looks like an effort to galvanize the one percent to exercise their considerable political influence to help end the sequester.

The congressional attempt to stave off the airport attack failed. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) was rebuffed last month when he tried to amend legislation to assure an extra $50 million was allocated to preserve private plane travel. “What cracked me up during the CR [continuing resolution] debate was watching Moran foam at the mouth with [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid stopping him from getting a vote,” quipped one Senate Democratic aide. “Fiscal control! We need the sequester! Except, of course, when it affects them.”

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post

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Obama to Irked Dems: Hey, I'm No Dick Cheney

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By Kevin Spak If Barack Obama were still a senator, he too would have “probably objected” to the White House‘s reticence at sharing its legal justifications behind its drone policy, he admitted during a closed-door meeting with the Senate Democratic conference on Tuesday. But Obama sought to defend himself and the policy against… …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home

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Mitch McConnell On Spending Cuts: Senator Seeks A More Flexible Approach

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By The Huffington Post News Editors

WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) – U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday he favored replacing deep, across-the-board spending cuts set to begin on Friday with a more flexible approach that would be carried out by President Barack Obama’s administration.
“I would be happy to give the president more flexibility and rely on the agency heads” to decide which specific programs should be cut to achieve $85 billion in reductions between March 1 and September 30, McConnell told reporters.
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid swiftly batted down the idea, saying that tax increases must be part of any replacement for the so-called sequestration.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post