Tag Archives: Republican

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A Clear Path


By ThinkProgress War Room

So Far, So Good on Immigration Bill

Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee began historic work on a bipartisan immigration reform bill. The centerpiece of the bill is a path to earned citizenship for the 11 MILLION undocumented immigrants already present in this country.

As far as today’s proceedings went, it’s so far, so good:

  • Modest improvements were made to the bill, including a provision mandating that law enforcement determine whether deporting an individual would raise humanitarian concerns with regard to the individual and/or his or her family.
  • GOP extremists attempted three separate times today to put up roadblocks to a pathway to earned citizenship that would have essentially guaranteed that the 11 MILLION undocumented would remain in the shadows for decades, if not forever. Fortunately, all three of these attempts were roundly defeated by Democrats and pro-reform Republicans.

Nearly three dozen amendments from both Republicans and Democrats were cleared during the largely amicable legislative markup, with 21 approved — and all but one of those on a bipartisan basis. The committee will continue working over the next two weeks until all 300+ amendments filed have been dealt with, though many of these will not actually be brought up by their sponsors or receive vote.

Today’s action only adds further positive momentum to the bill and a pathway to earned citizenship, which is supported by a whopping 83 percent of Americans.

BOTTOM LINE: The Senate immigration bill is a strong bill, but already represents a compromise for both sides. A bipartisan group of senators is making sure to hold the line on the bill and maintain a clear path to earned citizenship, despite the best efforts of some extreme, anti-reform Republicans to throw up roadblock after roadblock.

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You Might’ve Missed

GOP senators vote to spend tens of billions of dollars to militarize the border.

Minnesota House passes marriage equality.

Ex-official: Heritage Foundation has betrayed Reagan.

Heritage Foundation may be forced to hire PR firm to deal with backlash from anti-immigration report.

Racist author of Heritage Foundation’s anti-immigration report also wrote for white nationalist website.

Leader of GOP witch hunt on Benghazi admits he learned nothing new in hours-long hearing.

GOP Senate nominee caught using $281,500 “tax scam.”

GOP senator tries to impose anti-woman agenda on citizens of Washington, D.C.

Unemployment would be a point lower had we not been fixated on the deficit for the past two years

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Don’t Just Take Our Word For It


By  ThinkProgress War Room

Conservatives Trash Anti-Immigration Reform Report

In 2007, the Heritage Foundation released an influential — though widely debunked — report claiming that immigration reform would cost the U.S. $2.6 TRILLION. While no one factor alone is responsible for the death of reform that year, the Heritage paper certainly helped kill it.

Well, “here we go again,” as Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) tweeted earlier today. Today, Heritage released an updated report with an even more fantastical claim: immigration reform with a path to earned citizenship (which the report and its authors falsely and repeatedly refer to as “amnesty”) will now cost $6.3 TRILLION over the next 50 years.

This time, however, something is different. It’s conservatives who are lining up to trash the Heritage report. In just the few hours the report has been out, influential conservatives have lined up to discredit Heritage’s way-too-bad-to-be-true claims:

  • The Cato Institute
  • Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform
  • The American Enterprise Institute
  • Doug Holtz-Eakin, prominent conservative economist and president of the American Action Forum
  • Haley Barbour, former Republican Nation Committee chairman and Mississippi governor, and current co-chair of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s immigration reform task force
  • Sen. Jeff Flake
  • Sen. John McCain
  • Sen. Marco Rubio
  • Rep. Paul Ryan

As conservatives also pointed out, Heritage’s current view is even at odds with its own past statements on immigration:

The new report contradicts the think tank’s 2006 position on immigration. Heritage then wrote,“the argument that immigrants harm the American economy should be dismissed out of hand” and urged for a comprehensive bill. “A lopsided, ideological approach that focuses exclusively on border security while ignoring migrant workers (or vice versa) is bound to fail.”

Earlier this year when ultra-conservative former Sen. Jim DeMint was appointed to head Heritage, some worried aloud that this would undermine the organization’s credibility:

The DeMint choice signals a shift toward more conservative activism from one of America’s largest think tanks and is sure to please conservative donors. But it’s not likely to provide donors the political results they want. Instead, it is likely to reduce the relevance of both DeMint and Heritage.

Indeed, the organized opposition to the Gang of 8 immigration bill appears to consist largely of the Heritage Foundation, racist hate groups like FAIR, and right-wing talk radio hosts. While these groups may continue to be influential with some segments of the Republican base, it’s clear that they are increasingly outside of the mainstream of both American society and even the GOP itself. In fact, a poll out just last week found that 83 percent of all Americans and 84 percent of Republicans favor a path to earned citizenship so long as immigrants pay fines, back taxes, and meet other requirements — in other words, exactly what is in the Gang of 8 bill.

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You Might’ve Missed

Air Force officer in charge of preventing sexual assault was himself arrested for sexual assault.

Feds ramp up crackdown on medical marijuana dispensaries.

Elizabeth Smart: Abstinence education teaches rape victims they’re worthless, dirty, and filthy.

Not even Fox and Friends buys the GOP’s claims of Benghazi “cover up.”

Gun protesters plan march on Washington with loaded rifles in order to “put the government on notice.”

There are 2 MILLION extra unemployed Americans because of austerity.

NRA’s gun safety advice: store guns in your kids’ rooms.

Mississippi set to kill a potentially innocent man tomorrow.

Another week, another pointless House GOP vote to repeal Obamacare.

Black History

CONGRESS


State Capitol 047-DSC_4955And5more_fused
State Capitol 047-DSC_4955And5more_fused (Photo credit: Digidave)
  • The Senate stands in adjournment until 10:00am on Tuesday, May 7, 2013.
  • Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 11:00am with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each with the Republicans controlling the first half and the Majority controlling the final half.
  • Following morning business, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Executive Calendar #42, the nomination of David Medine, of Maryland, to be Chairman and Member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board with up to one hour of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley or their designees.
  • Upon the use or yielding back of time (at approximately 12:00pm), there will be a roll call vote on confirmation of the Medine nomination.
  • The Senate will recess from 12:30pm until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.
  • At 2:15pm, the Senate will begin consideration of S.601, the Water Resources Development Act.
  • 12:01pm The Senate began a roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #42, the nomination of David Medine, of Maryland, to be Chairman and Member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board;Confirmed: 53-45
  • Senator Murray asked consent to go to conference on the Budget resolution. Senator McConnell asked that the request be modified so that it not be in order for the Senate to consider a conference report that includes tax increases or reconciliation instructions to increase taxes or raise the debt ceiling.Senator Murray declined to modify her request. Senator McConnell then objected to the request.The Senate stands in recess until 2:15pm.
  • The Senate has begun consideration of S.601, Water Resources Development Act.
    Senator Boxer withdrew the committee reported substitute amendment and called up
    Boxer-Vitter substitute #799. The managers are now giving
    their opening statements. We are working on lining up the first amendments in
    order to the bill.
  • The Senate is in a period for debate only until 6:30pm on S.601, WRDA, while we figure out the first
    amendments to be considered to the bill.
  • The Senate has reached an agreement that provides for the consideration of the first 3 amendments to the WRDA legislation. At 11:30am tomorrow, Wednesday, May 8th, the Senate will resume consideration of S.601 and the following amendments will be the first amendments in order to the pending Boxer-Vitter substitute amendment #799:-          Coburn #804 (ammunition);-          Coburn #805 (Army Corps lands/guns); and

    –          Whitehouse #803 (oceans).

    No second degree amendments are in order to any of these amendments prior to votes in relation to the amendments. The Coburn and Whitehouse amendments are subject to a 60 affirmative vote threshold. The time until 2pm, will be equally divided between the two Leaders, or their designees, for debate on the amendments. Senator Coburn controls 40 minutes of the Republican time.

    At 2:00pm the Senate will proceed to vote in relation to the amendments in the order listed. There will be 2 minutes equally divided between the votes and all after the first vote will be 10 minute votes.

    Upon disposition of the Coburn and Whitehouse amendments, the substitute amendment, as amended, if amended, will be agreed to and be considered original text for the purposes of further amendment.

  • WRAP UP
  • ROLL CALL VOTE1)      Confirmation of Executive Calendar #42, the nomination of David Medine, of Maryland, to be Chairman and Member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board; Confirmed: 53-45LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

    Passed H.R.1071, a bill to specify the size of the precious-metal blanks that will be used in the production of the National Baseball Hall of Fame commemorative coins.

    Discharged the Judiciary committee and adopted S.Res.127, Commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the loss of the State symbol of New Hampshire, the Old Man of the Mountain.

    Adopted S.Res.130, designating the week of May 1 through May 7, 2013, as “National Physical Education and Sport Week”.

    Began the Rule 14 process of S.888, the End User Exemptions from provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act. (Johanns)

    No additional EXECUTIVE ITEMS

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May 2013
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Last Floor Action:
10:00:15 P.M. – The House adjourned.

The
next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on May 7, 2013

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HCAN


The Republicans in Congress need to know that you’re furious over their refusal to do their jobs. Write to your congressperson and tell them to repeal the sequester today.

Last week, Congress took rapid action to end furloughs of government air-traffic controllers that had inconvenienced air travelers.

That’s fine. But they didn’t do a single thing to end the sequester’s across-the-board cuts that are hurting more and more people every day. Nope. The GOP won’t budge unless it helps them and the wealthy special interests.

The Senate Just Fixed The (part of the) Sequester (that affects rich people)

Let’s be honest: The only reason these Senators and Representatives acted so quickly is they didn’t want to be inconvenienced on the tarmac as they flew home for the weekend. They don’t care about the workers at the Federal Aviation Administration – just folks who can afford air travel.

What about the poor and elderly? Kids who can’t go to Head Start? Doctors and cancer patients who rely on Medicare? With the Republicans in control of the House of Representatives, they’re out of luck.

Health Care for America Now is joining the Campaign for America’s Future to tell Congress to repeal the sequester – all of it, not just the parts that affect the wealthy.

Members of Congress have heard from their campaign contributors who like to fly. Now they need to hear from Medicare recipients, from seniors who have lost Meals on Wheels, from parents whose kids can’t go to Head Start anymore and from health care supporters who want the Affordable Care Act to continue moving forward.

Write to your congressperson today and tell them to repeal the whole sequester.

Thanks,

Will O’Neill Health Care for America Now