Tag: Bernie Sanders

Budget deal now has enough votes to pass Senate

The Fix

Budget deal now has enough votes to pass Senate

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) appears to have the votes needed to push a budget agreement over the finish line. (AP)
Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) appears to have the votes needed to push a budget agreement over the finish line. (AP)

This item has been updated.

A bipartisan budget agreement already passed overwhelmingly by the House now appears to have sufficient support to survive a key procedural test vote in the U.S. Senate later this week.

Final passage of the bill with a simple majority of senators doesn’t appear in doubt — but the legislation written by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) must first clear a procedural hurdle to end formal debate and proceed to final passage.

Supporters must garner at least 60 votes to proceed to final passage of the legislation. Assuming all 55 members of the Senate Democratic caucus vote “yes,” they will need at least five Republicans to join them. Continue reading “Budget deal now has enough votes to pass Senate”

U.S. budget negotiators far from deal, move behind closed doors

U.S. budget negotiators far from deal, move behind closed doors

By David Lawder November 13, 2013 6:50 PM
General view of the U.S. Capitol dome in the pre-dawn darkness in Washington

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The U.S. Capitol dome is pictured in the pre-dawn darkness in this general view taken in Washington, …

By David Lawder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. budget negotiators said on Wednesday they were still far from an agreement and put off scheduling any other public meetings as talks to ease automatic spending cuts moved behind closed doors.

The 29-member congressional negotiating committee trying to set spending levels for fiscal 2014 has largely ceded negotiating authority to its top Republican, Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, and its Democratic leader, Senator Patty Murray from Washington state.

“We’ve spent a lot of time talking about our differences,” said Ryan. “That’s the easy part. The hard part is figuring out where we agree.” Continue reading “U.S. budget negotiators far from deal, move behind closed doors”

Federal workers rally on Hill

Federal workers rally on Hill 

By GINGER GIBSON | 10/4/13 1:58 PM EDT

Hundreds of furloughed federal employees rallied outside the Capitol on Friday to call on Congress to vote to reopen government.

Led by more than 20 members of Congress and public employee union leadership, the crowd chanted, “We want to work” and “Let them vote,” alluding to the demand by Democrats to hold a House vote on a “clean CR” that approves government funding but doesn’t gut Obamacare.

For the first few days of the shutdown only small groups of federal employees have demonstrated outside the Capitol. But on Friday they made their biggest demonstration yet. Continue reading “Federal workers rally on Hill”

House to vote on back pay for furloughed government workers

By Jonathan Easley – 10/04/13 11:32 AM ET

The House will vote Saturday on legislation that would provide back pay for federal workers who have been furloughed during the government shutdown.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s (R-Va.) office announced the House would remain in session to vote on new legislation that is “critical” to government operations.

One of the bills will deal with back pay for federal workers on furloughs and is likely to pass with support from both parties.

“The House will pass a bill to pay federal workers for their time in furlough once the shutdown ends,” Cantor said in a tweet. Continue reading “House to vote on back pay for furloughed government workers”

Senate Dems unveil $110 billion sequester-replacement package

By Alexander Bolton and Erik Wasson – 02/14/13 01:51 PM ET

Senate Democratic leaders unveiled a $110 billion sequester-replacement bill at a closed-door caucus meeting Thursday that would replace $85 billion in automatic spending cuts set to hit March 1.

The Senate Democratic package is split evenly between spending cuts and provisions raising new tax revenues, according to a Democratic source.

It would raise nearly $54 billion in taxes by implementing the Buffett Rule, setting a minimum effective tax rate for wealthy individuals and families. It would raise additional revenues by changing the tax treatment of oil extraction from oil sands. Continue reading “Senate Dems unveil $110 billion sequester-replacement package”

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