Republican Party

EPA Administrator to Face Senate Appropriators Tomorrow

March 2, 2010 -- Washington, D.C.--Half of the House Republican caucus, led by Minority Leader John Boehner, is set to back legislation that guts the Clean Air Act in order to bail out Big Oil.

The legislation, mirroring the unprecedented assault against the Clean Air Act being led by Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, would stall new fuel economy rules that will cut America's oil use by 1.8 billion barrels and save consumers nearly $500 a year at the gas pump.    » read more »

Overcomes Republican Filibuster

March 3, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Late this evening the U.S. Senate approved legislation extending for 30 days jobless benefits, COBRA health insurance subsidies, payments to doctors who serve Medicare patients, and tax breaks for small businesses, which expired on February 28th.

The disruption in benefits was the result of a Republican effort, led by Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY), to block a vote on this critical legislation.

U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) voted for the short-term measure but stated that more needs to be done. Reed and Whitehouse have staunchly advocated for a longer extension of unemployment insurance (UI) and COBRA health benefits through the end
of 2010.    » read more »

Filibuster That Puts Workers Out of Work, Shuts Down Construction Sites

March 2, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) today denounced a Republican filibuster in the Senate that has shut down job sites across the country and sent workers home without pay.

“Construction sites are job sites,” stated Lautenberg. “The irresponsible action taken by Senate Republicans is causing critical transportation projects across the country to be shut down. Workers are being sent home without pay and communities are being saddled with inactive projects.    » read more »

Senator Urges Extension of Unemployment Insurance and COBRA Subsidy Helping Unemployed Workers Purchase Temporary Health Coverage

March 2, 2010 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today criticized attempts by Senate Republicans to prevent the extension of unemployment insurance and the COBRA subsidy for temporary health coverage. Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) has blocked an extension more than nine times in the past week.    » read more »

Judge Greenaway hails from NJ, is nominee for US Court of Appeals, Third Circuit

January 26, 2010 -- FULL TEXT AS DELIVERED:

Mr. President, I rise in support of the nomination to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit of a distinguished jurist from New Jersey, Judge Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr., which seems to be blocked by some people in this Chamber yet unknown. I know it is not from my side of the aisle because I have checked. So it is on the Republican side of the aisle. Yet Judge Greenaway fully embodies the respect for justice and the rule of law that we demand of all of our judges. He has strong bipartisan support, and his nomination could easily have been taken care of this evening but for a few Republicans blocking the vote.    » read more »

December 10, 2009 -- Washington D.C. – Today, Congressman Paul Hodes released a new report detailing the number of New Hampshire women who stand at risk of losing critical mandated health coverage if insurance company-endorsed Republican proposals were enacted into law.

Over 400,000 New Hampshire women who currently have health insurance would be at risk for losing guaranteed coverage for critical medical ­­­­­procedures and services if Republican proposals to remove state mandates for health care coverage were enacted into law.    » read more »

December 10, 2009 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today spoke on the Senate floor to respond to Republican attacks regarding the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee’s consideration of health care reform legislation.

Dodd led the HELP Committee this past summer when it approved the Affordable Health Choices Act. Nearly 150 Republican amendments are reflected in the Senate health care bill.

“We may have disagreements about the health care bill. That's nothing new at all here. But I want the record to reflect the efforts that have been made for over a year now to involve our colleagues across the spectrum. During the HELP Committee markup—I will mention it over and over again—we considered 287 amendments.    » read more »

December 7, 2009 -- Washington – As she opposed another Republican amendment today designed to scare seniors and gut commonsense health insurance reform, Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) said she will consistently fight to protect Medicare.

Under the guise of “protecting Medicare,” the amendment offered by Senator Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) – who just last week distributed a manual to his colleagues on how to obstruct health insurance reform efforts – would have stripped critical provisions designed to make health insurance more affordable and more widely available. The amendment, which failed, was an attempt to kill any chance for health insurance reform.    » read more »

December 5, 2009 -- Washington -- While Senate Republicans defended tax breaks for health insurance companies on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln called on her colleagues to support her proposal, which would cut taxpayer subsidies of health insurance executives’ salaries and place those savings into the Medicare Trust Fund.

“Several Republican Senators came to the floor today to defend the status quo on behalf of the health insurance companies and the executives that receive multimillion dollar compensation packages,” Lincoln said. “Maybe they do not understand that under current law, the American people are footing the bill for this tax windfall for health insurance companies.    » read more »

“Ninety colleagues here voted for the bill this spring. Why wouldn’t you join us today?”

November 18, 2009 -- Today, Senate Republicans blocked Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd’s (D-CT) attempt to pass legislation to stop credit card interest rate hikes.

Dodd went to the Senate floor to ask for consent for the Senate to take up and pass his Credit Card Rate Freeze Act, which would prevent credit card companies from hiking interest rates, fees and finance charges on customers’ existing balances until Credit CARD Act protections take effect in February. Regrettably, Republican Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) objected to Dodd’s request, blocking the bill from Senate passage.    » read more »

November 9, 2009 -- Washington, DC - Senators Daniel Akaka, Jon Tester and Mark Begich held a press conference today to discuss legislation to improve health care services to America's veterans. A single Republican Senator is obstructing efforts to pass the bipartisan Caregiver and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009. Among other things, the legislation will provide benefits to caregivers of severely injured veterans, expand health care services to women, improve mental care treatment, provide outreach to homeless veterans and enhance VA medical services.    » read more »

Committee Democrats Forced to Pass Landmark Bill Without Republican Participation

November 5, 2009 -- Washington, DC - The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) today passed landmark climate change legislation to combat global warming and invest in a new clean energy economy. Because the Republican members of the Committee declined to propose amendments to the legislation and boycotted the Committee's meetings to consider the bill, the Committee approved EPW Committee Chairman Boxer's "mark" of the legislation without amendment.    » read more »

November 4, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tom Udall, D-N.M., today issued the following statement regarding the Senate’s long-awaited passage of an Unemployment Insurance benefits extension following weeks of partisan delays:

“While I remain outraged that Senate Republicans decided to engage in nearly a month of political gamesmanship before working with us to extend unemployment benefits for millions of laid-off American workers, I’m relieved that aid for these families is around is finally the corner.

“In New Mexico, more than 150,000 residents are jobless as a result of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Now we will finally be able to send them a financial lifeline to keeping roofs over their heads and food on their tables.    » read more »

GOP proposal is a bailout for insurance companies, congressman says.

November 3, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-8) today said he was underwhelmed by the health care legislation advanced by the House Republicans as an alternative to the Affordable Health Care for America Act. The congressman pointed out that the historic effort of the past 10 months incorporates items that were proposed by Republicans in Congress.    » read more »

Oil Industry Voter Guide Gives Inhofe Perfect Score

WASHINGTON, DC (November 3, 2009) – The National Wildlife Federation has uncovered a little-known legislative scorecard and Voter Guide from the American Petroleum Institute, revealing Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) earned a perfect score from the oil industry’s top trade association last year.    » read more »