Tag Archives: United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

The Senate Pro forma Action The House

09/06/2013 Nativegrl77 1 Comment

The Senate will convene at 12:00 noon on Friday, September 6,

for the purpose of allowing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to file the reported joint resolution to authorize the limited and specified use of the United States Armed Forces against Syria.

Sep 5, ’13 12:35 PM

Author meredith Categories Floor Updates

Pursuant to the authority provided by section 2 of S.Con.Res.22, the Majority Leader will convene the Senate at 12:00 noon on Friday, September 6, for the purpose of allowing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to file the reported joint resolution to authorize the limited and specified use of the United States Armed Forces against Syria. This will be a very short session with no other business conducted. This action will allow for a motion to proceed to the joint resolution to be in order on Monday.

Following Friday’s session, the Senate will convene at 2:00pm on Monday, September 9. Senator Reid intends to move to proceed to the joint resolution on Syria soon after we convene on Monday.

At 5:00pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider the following nominations, with 30 minutes for debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley, or their designees:

– Valerie E. Caproni, of New York, to be a United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York; and

– Vernon S. Broderick, of New York, to be a United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York.

Upon the use or yielding back of time (approximately 5:30pm), the Senate will proceed to vote in relation to the above nominations. We expect one of the nominations to be considered by voice vote.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Last Floor Action:
12:06:45 P.M. – The Speaker announced
that the House do now adjourn pursuant to section 4(b) of H. Res. 322. The next
meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on September 9, 2013.

12:00:23 P.M.		The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
12:00:24 P.M.		REASSEMBLY OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES – Pursuant to section 2 of Senate Concurrent Resolution 22, 113th Congress, the House was called to order.
12:01:20 P.M.		The Speaker designated the Honorable Jeff Denham to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
12:01:30 P.M.		NOTIFICATION TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO REASSEMBLE – Pursuant to section 2 of Senate Concurrent Resolution 22 of the 113th Congress, after consultation with the Minority Leader of the Senate and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, and Speaker of the House, John Boehner, notified the Members of the Senate to reassemble at 12:00 noon on Friday, September 6, 2013, and the Members of the House of Representatives to reassemble at 12:00 noon on Friday, September 6, 2013.
12:02:03 P.M.		Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Patrick J. Conroy.
12:03:42 P.M.		The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to section 4(a) of H. Res. 322, the Journal of the last day’s proceedings was approved.
12:03:50 P.M.		PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
12:04:00 P.M.		WHOLE NUMBER OF THE HOUSE – Under clause 5(d) of rule 20, the Chair announced to the House that, in light of the resignation of the gentleman from Alabama, Mr. Bonner, the whole number of the House is 433.
12:04:32 P.M.		The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received the following message from the Secretary of the Senate on August 2, 2013 at 3:18 p.m.: Appointments to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance.
12:05:33 P.M.		The House received a communication from Representative Alexander wherein he will resign as a member of the House of Representatives effective September 27, 2013.
12:05:54 P.M.		The House received a communication from Teresa Lewis, Constituent Services Liason. Pursuant to Rule VIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, Ms. Lewis notified the House that she had been served with a third-party subpoena, issued by the Hamilton County Municipal Court, Hamilton County, Ohio for documents and testimony in a criminal case. After consultation with the Office of General Counsel, she had determined that compliance with the subpoena was consistent with the precedents and privileges of the House.
12:06:45 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to section 4(b) of H. Res. 322.The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on September 9, 2013.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Stay out of Syria

05/30/2013 Nativegrl77

VoteVets.org

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 15-3 in favor of arming and training the Syrian rebels.

This is a misguided and dangerous idea.

I helped to train the Iraqi Army during my second tour, and their concern is that many of the anti-Assad forces are the same terrorists they’ve fought before and who continue to target them.

Plus, as Senator Tom Udall noted, once we introduce weapons, we have zero control over them. The United States “could turn over the weapons we’re talking about and next day they end up in the hands of al-Qaida.”

Three Senators voted against the bill in committee, but we need you to send a strong message to the other 97 that you oppose intervention in Syria’s civil war. You can do that here:

http://action.votevets.org/syria

Moreover, there is no winning scenario when we get involved in other nations’ civil wars and proxy wars.

On this point, Senator Chris Murphy said it best: “We have failed over and over again in our attempts to pull the strings of Middle Eastern politics.”

Let’s not make the same mistake again.

Jon Soltz
@jonsoltz
Iraq War Veteran and Chairman
VoteVets.org

~ my 2cents ...

TGIF …thoughts of Egypt &some News

02/04/2011 Nativegrl77

As President Obama visits Penn State to talk on energy he will also reveal his plan to reinvest in the future to a crowd of 3ooo, he will also be holding a news conference 3pmET with Canadian PMinister, which you can watch on CSPAN … if you want to read about the visit to Penn State go to: www.centredaily.com

President Obama visited the Penn State Campus in State College, Pennsylvania and toured labs focused on energy-efficient building solutions. The President then delivered remarks on the importance of investing in innovation and clean energy to put people back to work and grow the economy. http://c-span.com/Events/President-Obama-Remarks-on-Innovation-at-Penn-State/10737419391/

It is Friday night in Egypt, Cairo ….and

The World is now watching …

The marches started in Tunisia; which gave way to Egypt and moved on to cities like Alexandria. As the protests get ramped up the violence has as well but the people of Egypt like Iran have had enough, though this revolt seems to be on a roll to the people getting an opportunity to shape their own democracy, freedoms and human rights. The President appointed a VP announced he will not run for office again yet tells the World he will see his country through until the September elections. The fact is …this just seems like a military man who not only is stubborn but unwilling to listen or do right by his own people. It has been about 11 days later, several hundred injured and at least 15 dead and it gives the viewer the idea that Mubarak would rather see his country be torn up and down than do what is right and save face. The World has been watching the physical crackdown by either Mubarak and or the new VP with orders to harass foreign media, take Cameras, and detain people in the name of safety or something else. Now, it is getting harder and harder to tell the pro-Mubarak people from the pro-democracy protestors, as it is obvious being undercover enables them to do more damage.

Remember … there is always strength in numbers

people dying for wanting to be heard, for wanting to be participants in their own futures is not new … mothers with children, older men and women and college students are coming out in droves to let the current dictators know it’s time for a change

We see a country in possible transition, definitely a movement against a dictatorship who has been President for thirty years; obviously, the votes of millions have gone uncounted. The people of Egypt are demanding to be heard and it is obvious that many know that to get the change they need and want … it means demanding to be heard and fear or fear of authority is not an option… and the possibility of death imminent.

Mubarak and or his new VP have tried to cut off all connections to the outside World, have been diverting responsibility, and obviously willing to use extreme force. The military and the police have let things go so far then they show their might with gun fire; but don’t they want personal freedom too … a change from the old ways to a more positive way of life … human rights, a chance for a better economy and a chance to be heard, to be a real participant in the process of life ….

They have a dictator who will not step down quietly has threatened and is now bringing the pain to his own people for what started out as a non-violent protest and demand for freedom and it is shameful.

The journey toward freedom is sometimes paved with danger

Pray for all those involved and hope Americans are safe

Other News …

** Top Iran leader to Mubarak… you betrayed your people-response is appropriate against his rule

**Tens of thousands still in the square of Cairo as night comes

**Folks all around the country are marking the 100yrs since RonReagan was born

**Monster storm keeps beating down on the East Coast

**Fighting between Cambodia and Thai troops near disputed temple- the Preah Vihear — on the border

**Giffords husband will go on last NASA flight

**Senate Panel Backs Patent Overhaul Bill

**Report states FBI failed ,Fort Hood shooting

**House Repubs Propose $32Bil Cut in Fed Spending- FYI remember that is less than 1/3 of the $100Bil they promised

**Al-Jazeera’s offices torched during Egypt unrest

**Zimbabwe protesters mob aid project handover

**LA school dist cancels Chef JamieOliver’s reality shoot

**the protests in Egypt cost around $300M per day says their govt

**Dollar climbs as the job rate falls to 9%

CSPAN …

Journalists discussed the protests in Egypt and looked at the future implications of that uprising at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies. Speakers include Bob Schieffer, anchor of the CBS Sunday morning program “Face the Nation,” as well as al Jazeera Arabic’s Washington Bureau Chief and the Chief Pentagon Correspondent for McClathcy Newspapers. http://c-span.com/Events/CSIS-Discussion-on-Political-Unrest-in-Egypt/10737419389/

With protests continuing in Egypt, and recent developments in Tunisia, the Obama administration faces a changing landscape in the Middle East. Two human rights experts and a former State Department official discussed the developments at this event hosted by Carnegie Endowment for Int’l Peace. http://c-span.com/Events/Carnegie-Endowment-for-Int39l-Peace-Discussion-on-Political-Unrest-in-Egypt/10737419396/

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME) spoke to reporters on Capitol Hill about the latest report on the Fort Hood shootings. The report blames the army and the FBI for not doing enough to prevent the 2009 shootings which killed 13 people. http://c-span.com/Events/News-Conference-on-Fort-Hood-Shootings/10737419394/

Iraq U.S. Forces Commander General Lloyd Austin and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey gave an upbeat assessment on the transition in the country from a military mission to a civilian-led effort at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. They appeared before the committee to answer questions about a 2008 agreement between the U.S. and Iraq that calls for all U.S. troops to withdraw from the region by the end of this year. According to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee report released recently, American diplomats and other mission employees may not be safe in Iraq if the U.S. military leaves by the deadline. http://c-span.com/Events/Senate-Armed-Services-Cmte-Hearing-on-Policy-Toward-Iraq/10737419393/

The Senate Budget Committee held a hearing on U.S. economic recovery efforts. This is one of a series of hearings the Committee held on the U.S. economy and the federal budget. President Obama is scheduled to release his federal budget proposal to Congress later this month, which will kick off the budget process for the federal government’s fiscal 2012. Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) chairs the committee http://c-span.com/Events/Senate-Budget-Cmte-Hearing-on-Economic-Recovery/10737419388/

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: START To End

12/10/2010 Nativegrl77

One year ago today, President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, which was given in large part because of his commitment to nuclear arms reduction. Today, the administration’s signature foreign policy achievement, the successful negotiation of a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia, which has been essential to rehabilitating relations between the two countries, is languishing in the Senate. Why? Republicans have consistently sought to delay and obstruct the treaty, but this opposition has now faded. It is now a question of time and whether Majority Leader Harry Reid will bring New START to the floor of the Senate. The treaty, if brought up, likely has the 67 votes to achieve ratification. But thus far, START has been put off. Meanwhile, the Senate is taking the weekend off with just one week left to go until the scheduled end of the session. START is critical for our national security and advances a major progressive priority of reducing the number of nuclear weapons in the world. Today, leaders from the national security, scientific, and religious communities are sending a letter to Reid urging him to “take up and approve New START now, if need be by extending the Senate in session beyond December 17.”

IT HAS THE VOTES: Early in the lame duck session, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) “blindsided” the White House when he broke off months of negotiations and insisted on a delay of New START. Instead of caving, the White House fought back. The reaction was fierce. In the last month, more than 40 editorial boards from newspapers around the country urged ratification and ripped Kyl for putting politics above America’s national security. Republican threats to delay also exposed a deep rift within the Republican establishment, as a who’s who of Republican officials have come out urging ratification now, including this week President George H.W. Bush and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who joined Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, James Baker, among others, in support of New START. These Republican officials join the U.S. military establishment and our Eastern European allies that live in the shadow of Russia in support of START. A recent CBS News poll found that 82 percent of the American people support the treaty. Against this wave of support, Republican intransigence has softened and now a split has emerged with a significant number of the Republican caucus favor a vote on START in the lame duck session — more than enough to ratify the treaty. Just this morning Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins said they will support START.

REID CAN FORCE A VOTE: Unlike normal Senate legislation, which can be blocked by a filibuster that requires 60 votes to overturn, a treaty only requires 50 votes to proceed to debate and a vote. The New START treaty was therefore not included in the letter from the Senate GOP caucus that threatened to block any legislation that was brought up before tax cuts. Unlike Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, where Republican senators who claimed to support repeal voted to filibuster on process grounds, on START, Republicans will have to vote on the actual treaty and can’t hide behind procedure. However, Foreign Policy’s Josh Rogin reported last night that some Republicans attempt to offer a number of “treaty killing” amendments that would alter the treaty and therefore require renegotiating with Russia. Yet, these amendments can be voted down by 50 votes and were already overcome during the vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee through the work of Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN). Republicans could use the amendment process in an effort to drag out the process, but this is why Reid should make clear that they would only be delaying their Christmas vacation.

DANGER OF DELAY: Some Republicans have suggested that START should be delayed for just a few months until January or February when a new Senate is sworn in. This is a ruse. At every step of the ratification process, Republicans — led by Kyl — have urged delay. Kyl was actually for holding a vote during the lame duck session, until, of course the lame duck session arrived. Furthermore, the willingness to offer treaty-killing amendments only further casts doubt on Kyl’s intentions. At the very least a delay in the treaty ratification process, which has taken nine months, would start from scratch. The new make up of the Senate would also make getting the 67 votes for ratification much harder and would make the ratification process much more dependent on Kyl, likely leading to only more leverage to extort nuclear pork funding. In the end, a delay would in all likelihood mean the death of the New START treaty. This would have huge consequences for our relationship with Russia, which is critical to dealing with Iran and supplying our troops in Afghanistan. Furthermore, the collapse of the verification measures that monitor Russia’s nuclear arsenal were in place under the original treaty, could eventually upset nuclear stability and lead to significant uncertainty in nuclear relations. Failure to ratify START would also send shockwaves around the world and would be seen as the U.S. putting a knife in the back of the whole nuclear non-proliferation regime. The consequences of delay and defeat of New START are grave.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Help Advance the Rights of Women and Girls Worldwide

11/18/2010 Nativegrl77


	Advance the Rights of Women & Girls Worldwide



	Tell your Senator to support CEDAW and to ask Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Senator John Kerry, to put CEDAW on the path towards ratification.

I DON’T believe in the basic rights of women and girls worldwide — the right to live free from violence, the right to go to school, or the right to participate in the political system.

How many Americans would agree with that statement? None that I know — and I’m sure none that you know.

Yet the United States continues to be one of only seven countries in the world that has not ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) — a landmark international agreement that affirms principles of fundamental human rights and equality for women around the world.

It’s time to ratify CEDAW and show that Americans believe in the basic rights of women and girls worldwide.

Today, for the first time in EIGHT years, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing focused solely on the importance of ratifying CEDAW — a momentous step forward in our push to ratify this important treaty. This hearing will underscore the importance of U.S. ratification of the treaty to strengthen our standing as a leader for women’s rights and human rights, and it’s an important first step towards a full Senate vote on CEDAW. The National Women’s Law Center has been at the forefront of working for the ratification of CEDAW, and today our Co-President, Marcia Greenberger, will testify at the Committee hearing about the importance of CEDAW for women and girls worldwide.

We are within striking distance of CEDAW ratification, but the window of opportunity is rapidly closing. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the committee with jurisdiction over this international treaty. In order for the U.S. to ratify CEDAW, he needs to use his leadership to move it forward.

We urgently need your help — tell your Senators to support CEDAW and ask Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, Senator Kerry, to move CEDAW forward for a vote.

Sincerely,