Republicans on Tuesday blocked a bill that would have created a right to access in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments and mandated that insurance plans cover the practice, deriding the vote as a political ploy.
Senators voted against advancing the bill, 51-44, marking the second time Democrats have sought to put Republicans on the record on the contentious issue. Sixty votes were needed to open debate on the measure.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa...
Senate
Democrats bet Harris will move left as president
Democratic lawmakers are giving Vice President Harris a pass on her policy flip-flops and efforts to tack toward the political center, confident that she’s still a progressive at heart and will fight hard to achieve their goals on tax policy, climate change and other priorities.
Even the Senate's most liberal Democrats say they aren't worried about Harris backing away from her previous support for Medicare for All or a fracking ban because they believe she will push hard to re...
Republicans worry Trump blowing their chances for Senate majority
Senate Republicans are worried that former President Trump could be blowing their chances of winning back the majority as he flails in his response to Vice President Harris’s surge of momentum, according to GOP aides and strategists.
Harris has narrowed Trump’s lead in Republican-leaning Senate battlegrounds such as Ohio and Florida and pulled ahead in other states where Republicans have a chance of picking up seats, such as Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
...
Harris blindsided Democrats with ‘no tax on tips’ plan
Vice President Harris blindsided Democratic lawmakers and progressive activists by endorsing a proposal first floated by former President Trump to exempt tips for service and hospitality workers from taxes, an idea that Democrats had previously criticized as “bogus” and a “ploy” for votes.
Harris’s support for the idea is being seen as an aggressive play for votes in Nevada, a critical swing state where service workers will be key, and as an effort to neutralize whatever advan...
GOP ready to pounce on Harris policy pivots
Vice President Harris’s quick pivot to her White House bid has prompted an about-face on multiple key issues that could affect outcomes in battleground states, handing former President Trump and Republicans a prime attack line.
In the roughly one week since Harris replaced President Biden as the probable Democratic nominee, her campaign has moved to distance her from a series of positions she took when she was a candidate in the 2020 presidential primary.
She no long...
Behind hoopla, Democrats anxious about Harris
Behind the public jubilation over Vice President Harris’s swift rise to become their party’s likely nominee for president, Democratic lawmakers are privately anxious about her prospects of defeating former President Trump, acknowledging that she is largely untested as a candidate and faces serious challenges.
The anxiety, for the most part, has been set aside out of a deep sense of relief that President Biden decided to drop his reelection bid. After months of unease over the ...
Sanders, holding back endorsement, seeks influence with Harris
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has held off from officially endorsing Vice President Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee, and he is seeking to help shape the focus of her campaign and her agenda if she is elected.
Sources close to Sanders say he has no intention of challenging Harris, who is on a glidepath to winning the nomination after President Biden’s decision to not seek reelection.
Harris has seen no significant opponent line up to challenge her, and a b...
GOP plots big Trump agenda despite past missteps
Senate Republicans hoping to win full control of Congress and the White House are crafting an ambitious legislative package that would go far beyond extending former President Trump's tax cuts.
The legislation, being cobbled together for budget reconciliation rules that would sidestep a Senate filibuster, would need to win the support of most or all elected Republicans to become law. That could be a difficult prospect, especially in a narrow majority.
Both part...
Trump’s endorsement puts Larry Hogan in a political bind
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) is having to navigate tricky political terrain after Donald Trump endorsed him in the state’s Senate race — arguably a liability for a Republican in the deep-blue state.
Trump told Fox News last week that he would like to see Hogan win, despite the former governor having emerged as one of Trump’s most vocal GOP critics over the last several years.
Hogan has already taken steps to distance himself from Trump since then, including r...
Sanders calls for investigation into birth control insurance coverage
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is calling on a government watchdog to investigate why some health insurance plans are charging women for contraception, in violation of federal law that requires it to be free.
In all 50 states, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) guarantees coverage of women’s preventive services, including all birth control methods approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
But in a letter sent Monday to the Government Accountability Office, Sa...