Senate blocks bill repealing $2B in oil tax breaks

The Senate blocked a bill Tuesday that would cancel about $2 billion a year in tax breaks for the five major oil companies, a Democratic retort to $4-a-gallon gasoline that might fare better when Congress and the White House discuss a deal afterward this year to add to the government's ability to have a loan of.

The bill was beaten on a procedural vote. But Democrats hope to erect their case to contain the measure in a deficit-reduction package being negotiated by key lawmakers and the Obama administration. Lawmakers from both parties are challenging deficit reduction as part of deal to boost the government's capacity to borrow and avoid a record default on U.S. Treasury bonds.

"This bill says that yet the most rich and powerful between us must do their fair share to help us reduce the shortfall," said Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., the bill's sponsor. "Their high-priced lobbyists cannot stop us from doing what is fair and what is right."

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Wis. GOP bypasses Dems, cuts collective bargaining

The News Updates is the near month-long standoff in the Wisconsin Legislature over volatile union rights legislation rocketed toward a theatrical finish Thursday after Senate Republicans outmaneuvered their missing Democratic counterpart and pressed from side to side the bill.

The extraordinary turn of events late Wednesday set up an unthinking vote Thursday morning in the Assembly on the measure that would strip nearly all communal bargain rights from most public workers. Once the bill passes the gathering, it heads to Republican Gov. Scott Walker for his name.

Within hours after the Senate passed the bill, a crowd of hundreds of protesters grew to about 7,000 in the Capitol, a crowd as huge as any seen within the building in three weeks of demonstrations.

"The whole world is watching!" protesters shouted as they pressed up in opposition to the heavily guarded entry to the Senate chamber.

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Republicans press for Senate vote on health care

Senate Republicans want to box predominance Democrats into permit a health care cancel vote even if GOP lawmakers wait for to be on the behind side.

"We need to have a cast your vote on it because we swear the people we would," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Sunday on "Face the Nation" on CBS. "We have to have a vote on revoke so that all and sundry is on confirmation whether they want to revoke."

Republicans took have power over of the House after November's election and last week voted, as promised, to retract the health care law. Lone three Democrats joined all Republicans in the 245-189 vote to piece the law.

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McCain calls study on gays in military flawed

Straight challenging the Pentagon's top management, Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain on Thursday affronted a military study on gays as faulty and said letting gays serve openly would be hazardous in a time of war.

McCain's antagonism foreshadows the future Senate debate on a bill that would knock over the 1993 "don't ask, don't tell" law, which bans gays from portion openly in the overhaul.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has promised a vote, but McCain has helped to block preceding debate on the Senate floor.

Additional dimming chances of repeal this month was a recent conformity amongst Senate Republicans not to vote on any bill earlier than addressing tax cuts and government spending.

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GOP says it'll block bills until tax cuts extended

Senate Republicans endangered Wednesday to block virtually all legislation until failing tax cuts are whole and a bill is passed to fund the federal government, vastly complicate Democratic attempts to leave their own crush on the final days of the post-election parliament.

"While there are other items that might in the end be worthy of the Senate's concentration, we cannot agree to prioritize any matters above the critical issues of financial support the government and prevent a job-killing tax hike," all 42 GOP senators wrote in a letter to preponderance Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. The 42 signatures are more than enough to block action on approximately any item he wishes to advance.

The danger does not apply to a new arms control treaty with Russia that is until, since it would be debated under rules that differ from those that apply to schedule legislation. President Barack Obama has made confirmation of the pact a top priority.

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