Senate – News Stories About Senate - Page 71

Aug 2, 2007 6:38 PM CDT

Ethics Reform Bill Sails Through Senate

Some Republicans unsatisfied with scope; Bush may not sign

(Newser) - The ethics reform bill, which tightens restrictions on congressional pet projects and lobbyist dealings, easily cleared the Senate today. The final vote was 83-14, with all of those opposed Republicans. Critics say the bill won't go far enough to curb earmark spending, the AP reports, but Dianne Feinstein praised the...

Bush Aide Stonewalls Senators

Aug 2, 2007 3:29 PM CDT

Bush Aide Stonewalls Senators

Rove snubs Judiciary Committee; 29-year-old staffer pleads for sympathy

(Newser) - Karl Rove didn't show up, but the White House sent a 29-year-old aide to field Senate Judiciary Committee questions about the US attorney firings today. Scott Jennings, the first administration figure to testify while still in office, followed the path laid out by ex-boss Sara Taylor in refusing to answer...

Fed Raid on Stevens Casts Pall on Senate

Aug 1, 2007 7:05 AM CDT

Fed Raid on Stevens Casts Pall on Senate

Scandal-plagued colleague attracts tepid support, challenges ethics bill

(Newser) - Already shell-shocked Senate Republicans are lending only tepid support to Ted Stevens, the Politico reports. Both parties are withholding judgment on the Alaskan elder statesman until the federal corruption probe that came to light this week is complete, and they won't pressure the 83-year-old to quit his committee posts unless...

Let Gonzo
Off the
Perjury Hook

Jul 31, 2007 4:52 PM CDT

Let Gonzo Off the Perjury Hook

He's a creep but not a criminal, says Post ’s Marcus

(Newser) - Alberto Gonzales’ Senate testimony last week was a disgraceful exercise in dodging, but the perjury charge Democratic senators have been hawking ever since doesn’t hold water, says the Washington Post’s lefty Ruth Marcus. In an “unexpected position,” the writer defends Gonzales, saying he may have minced...

Ethics Bill Clears House

Jul 31, 2007 4:10 PM CDT

Ethics Bill Clears House

Senate expected to pass reforms

(Newser) - The House passed a bill today that would impose sweeping new ethics rules and restrictions on lobbying, the Washington Post reports. The bill, which passed by an overwhelming 411-8 vote, takes particular aim at earmarks for legislators' personal projects. It also curbs campaign contributions and lobbyist wining and dining and...

Democrats Lose Withdrawal Vote

Jul 18, 2007 1:04 PM CDT

Democrats Lose Withdrawal Vote

Republicans hold out against Iraq exit measure

(Newser) - Senate Democrats failed to collect enough votes this morning to pass a bill that would force President Bush to begin pulling troops out of Iraq within 120 days. After a spirited all-night debate, 52 voted in favor of the measure and 47 against, but rules require 60 "yes" votes...

GOP Senate Bigwigs Push
for Iraq Shift

Jul 14, 2007 11:22 AM CDT

GOP Senate Bigwigs Push for Iraq Shift

Lugar, Warner seek redeployment, want specifics by October

(Newser) - Two of the GOP's most respected foreign policy experts want troop realignment in Iraq, and they proposed Senate legislation yesterday that calls for the White House to have a plan in place by mid-October. The move by Richard Lugar and John Warner was the latest sign of disintegrating Republican support...

Hagel, Snowe Jump Ship

Jul 11, 2007 4:14 PM CDT

Hagel, Snowe Jump Ship

Number of GOP defectors backing withdrawal plan climbs to 3

(Newser) - Two more Republican senators crossed party lines today to back legislation that calls for the US to start pulling out of Iraq within 4 months and withdraw by April. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Maine's Olympia Snowe of Maine signed on on as co-sponsors of the measure, along with Oregon's...

Funds Can't Find Friends in Anti-Tax Fight

Jul 11, 2007 9:01 AM CDT

Funds Can't Find Friends in Anti-Tax Fight

As Senate starts tax hearings, masters of the universe find they're short on pals

(Newser) - Wall Street's hedge-fund and private-equity titans are looking for allies in their fight to prevent a tax hike on profits—but they're having trouble recruiting, today's Journal reports. As the first Senate hearings on the proposed hikes get under way, representatives from venture capital, public pension funds, and investment firms...

La. Senator Caught Dialing DC Madam

Jul 10, 2007 1:33 PM CDT

La. Senator Caught Dialing DC Madam

Republican apologizes for "very serious sin" after escort-service revelation

(Newser) - Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter atoned yesterday for a "very serious sin in my past," after his telephone number turned up on the scandal-soaked call logs of Deborah Jeane Palfrey. The so-called DC Madam was forced to denude the records of her million-dollar escort service last week.

Iraq Gov't Fails Progress Report

Jul 10, 2007 11:26 AM CDT

Iraq Gov't Fails Progress Report

US-backed regime lags on all economic and political targets

(Newser) - The Iraqi government has failed to meet any of the benchmarks for reforms mandated when Congress funded the troop surge, according to a progress report due out this week. An unnamed official tells the AP that the disappointing outcome will accelerate the administration's decision-making process on Iraq, but another anonymous...

Gonzales Alerted to
FBI Misdeeds

Jul 10, 2007 9:33 AM CDT

Gonzales Alerted to FBI Misdeeds

AG told of violations before testimony that no abuses occurred

(Newser) - The FBI alerted Alberto Gonzales that agents had violated privacy regulations at least six times in the weeks before he told a Senate committee that no abuses had occurred, the Washington Post reports. The 2005 and 2006 internal reports detailed numerous problems with FBI activities under the Patriot Act, but...

Bush Directs Aides to Defy Subpoenas

Jul 10, 2007 4:12 AM CDT

Bush Directs Aides to Defy Subpoenas

Cites executive privilege in bid to stop Miers, Taylor testimony

(Newser) - In an aggressive use of executive privilege, President Bush instructed two of his former aides yesterday to disregard congressional subpoenas demanding they testify about the attorney firings scandal. In a letter to Congress, Bush's counsel rebuffed Democratic senators for encroaching on internal White House affairs, bringing the two branches closer...

Senate Kills Immigration Bill

Jun 28, 2007 1:55 PM CDT

Senate Kills Immigration Bill

Vote to move forward falls 14 votes short

(Newser) - In a serious setback for the Bush administration's second-term agenda, the Senate effectively killed the immigration-reform bill today, voting 53-46 to keep the legislation from going forward. The president had actively promoted the bipartisan measure, going so far as to lobby senators by phone this morning, but with his influence...

Domestic Spying Probe Reaches West Wing

Jun 27, 2007 3:05 PM CDT

Domestic Spying Probe Reaches West Wing

Frustrated Senate committee doles out subpoenas

(Newser) - Patrick Leahy came out swinging against the Bush administration's "sweeping assertions of secrecy and privilege" today, issuing subpoenas to the White House, Dick Cheney's office, the Justice Department, and the NSC. The documents demanded by the Senate Judiciary Committee relate to the warrantless wiretapping of terrorism suspects and the...

Senate Revives Immigration Bill

Jun 26, 2007 1:46 PM CDT

Senate Revives Immigration Bill

Debate on controversial measure, numerous amendments to resume after 2-week hiatus

(Newser) - The Senate breathed new life into the stalled immigration bill today, voting to resume debate on the signature legislation of President Bush's second term. With a slew of amendments waiting in the wings, passage is hardly a sure thing, the Times reports, but the bipartisan coalition that crafted the measure...

Top Republican Calls for New Iraq Plan

Jun 26, 2007 1:06 PM CDT

Top Republican Calls for New Iraq Plan

Lugar urges Bush to pursue economic and diplomatic strategy

(Newser) - An influential Republican senator abandoned his support for President Bush's Iraq war strategy last night with a call to cut back the US military's role in the region and focus more on diplomatic and economic options. Richard Lugar, the senior minority member of the Foreign Relations Committee, has a reputation...

Cheney: A Law Unto Himself?

Jun 24, 2007 8:25 AM CDT

Cheney: A Law Unto Himself?

Veep refuses to comply with executive order signed by President Bush

(Newser) - Vice President Cheney is refusing to comply with an executive order to compile classified documents used by his office. Cheney's theory is that because he has a limited role in the Senate – President he can break ties – he has immunity from executive orders.

Senate Passes Energy Bill

Jun 22, 2007 5:00 AM CDT

Senate Passes Energy Bill

Vehicles must hit a green 35mpg by 2020; Detroit seeing red

(Newser) - The Senate gave a green light to an energy plan that would pump total fuel-economy standards to 35 mpg by 2020, and require vehicles to run on 85% ethanol by 2015. Democrats say the bill will reduce America's reliance on foreign oil, help control gas prices and counteract the effects...

Alaskan Tribes Score No-Bid Bonanza

Jun 19, 2007 6:52 AM CDT

Alaskan Tribes Score No-Bid Bonanza

Sen. Ted Stevens under scrutiny for shady contracts

(Newser) - Alaskan tribes are so successful in securing no-bid government contracts, they're spurring a federal investigation into conduct by Alaskan senator Ted Stevens, reports Salon. In 1986, Stevens pushed through a law that gave Alaskan companies "small business" preferences—even if they belong to a multi-billion dollar parent corporation and...