Sen. Roland Burris (D-Blagojevich) traveled to Iraq, where he refused to answer questions about the admonishment he received from the Senate Ethics Committee. Chicago Breaking News has more: When a reporter told Burris some were questioning the expense of his Iraq trip, Burris said they were entitled to their opinion. Asked how much the trip cost, he replied: "I have no idea." Burris said...
Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Max Baucus (D-MT) have agreed to support a version of Senator Ron Wyden's Free Choice Act as an amendment to the health care bill moving through the Senate. Wyden has long argued that the key to health reform is allowing millions of Americans the right to opt out of their employer-based health care and use their employers' health-care contribution in the health exchange...
Over at the Cook Political Report, they've done their baseline report on the U.S. Senate race in 2010. Key excerpts: Oregon is very difficult terrain for Republicans. Democrats hold an 11-point advantage in voter registration, 43 percent to 32 percent, while another 26 percent are unaffiliated. Republicans lost a Senate seat in 2008 when GOP incumbent Gordon Smith was defeated. ... Given Democrats’...
California Sen. Barbara Boxer has signed a letter to majority leader Harry Reid urging him to support Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden's Free Choice amendment , a subversive plot to open the health...
Writing over at the Huffington Post, Senator Ron Wyden weighs in on the upcoming vote to renew the Patriot Act. In particular, he's concerned about something called the "business records" provision: While there are several controversial provisions in the USA Patriot Act, the coming debate is likely to center around the "business records" provision. Prior to 9/11, if the FBI or another...
Monday night, Senator Ron Wyden spoke with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow about the health care bill that Senator Harry Reid will bring to the Senate floor. The nine-minute clip below opens with a fantastic review by Maddow of where we are now. She waves a British flag (nope), a Canadian flag (nope), and a public option rally sign (sorta, with an asterisk). Cute props from a Rhodes Scholar with a master's in...
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday passed a health care reform bill in a vote viewed as critical to help advance the Obama administration's health care overhaul agenda. &$ &$U.S. Senate Finance Committee members Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore) (3rd R) and Senator John Kerry (D-Mass) (1st R) attend a debate during an executive session to vote on health care reform bill on Capitol Hill in...
Over at his Washington Post blog, Ezra Klein writes a post headlined "How the Senate Finance Committee Got Ron Wyden's Vote". He opens by noting the unlikelihood that Wyden would have emerged as the tough "get" for the chairman, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT): If you'd asked me six months ago which Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee would prove the toughest vote on health-care...
What follows is serious inside baseball for legislative wonks. If that's not your cup of tea, move along. As I noted on Monday, Senator Ron Wyden's "Free Choice" amendment came up for a committee vote in the wee hours of Friday morning. It was to be the very last amendment considered. Wyden's proposal was ruled "out of order" by Chairman Max Baucus because, he claimed, it didn't...
Well, today's the day. Or maybe not. Actually, probably not. In the wee hours of Friday morning, as the Senate Finance Committee wrapped up its work on the health care bill, the word was that the vote would come Tuesday. It's Tuesday, and it looks like the vote is going to be delayed - according to TPM. Whether it's a procedural thing (a delayed "score" from the CBO) or a political thing...
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, commentator Matt Miller notes that big business is united in its view of Senator Ron Wyden's "free choice" proposal: The Business Roundtable, the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers are united in their belief that Sen. Ron Wyden's (D., Ore.) "free choice amendment" must be stopped. Mr. Wyden's measure, which is being...
Moments ago, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee voted on the public option amendment proposed by Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV). Senator Ron Wyden voted Yes. The amendment failed 8 to 15. Along with all the Republicans, the Democrats who voted No were Senators Kent Conrad (ND), Blanche Lincoln (AR), Bill Nelson (FL), Tom Carper (DE), and Max Baucus (MT). Senator Wyden just released a statement on his...
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee is debating the public option amendment offered by Senator Jay Rockefeller. The vote will be happening shortly. Click here to watch a live webcast from the Committee room. Once we know the outcome - and Senator Ron Wyden's vote - I'll post an update.
If you wonder why there's still any doubt a public option will be part of health care reform when President Obama claims to favor it, Congressional leaders claim to favor it, and two-thirds of Americans keep telling pollsters they favor it, Robert Reich explains: Tomorrow (Tuesday) is a critical day in the saga of the public option. Democrats Charles Schumer (New York) and Jay Rockefeller (West Virginia)...
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