Congresswoman: Democrats #39;Rightly #39; Blocked DHS Funding Bill
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said Tuesday on C-SPAN #39;s Washington Journal that Senate Democrats rightly blocked a mute bill that would fund the Department of...
By: Roll Call
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Congresswoman: Democrats 'Rightly' Blocked DHS Funding Bill - Video
Democrats To Boycott Netanyahu #39;s Speech To Congress
In Jan. 2015, House Speaker Boehner invited Israel #39;s PM Netanyahu to talk to Congress about Iran relations. The problem: Boehner never consulted President Obama about the invitation. Some call...
By: AJ+
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Democrats To Boycott Netanyahu's Speech To Congress - Video
By Alexis Levinson Posted at 5 a.m. today
Blum, right, is a top Democratic target in 2016. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)
In one of the partys best pickup opportunities this cycle, Democrats have zeroed in on second-time candidate Monica Vernon to win Iowas 1st District.
Freshman Rep. Rod Blum, a Republican, holds the seat.But the districts composition is competitive, if not left-leaning:In 2012, President Barack Obama won it with 56 percent. That makes it a ripe target forDemocrats, whomust net 30 seats on a GOP-friendly map to win the majority.
Its probably our toughest chance to hold onto something we have, said Iowa Republican consultant Cory Crowley.
The districts attractivenesshas sparked a feeding frenzy on the left. Two Democrats have already announced their candidacies: Vernon and hotel executive Ravi Patel. Several other Democrats are considering it: Gary Kroeger, an alumnus of Saturday Night Live, is mulling a bid; former Gov. Chet Culver is considering moving to the district so he can run; and sources said Iowa Utilities Board member Swati Dandekar might run again as well.
But Democrats interviewed for this story werefocused on Vernon, whom they perceived as anearly front-runner.
In a Feb. 27 phone interview with CQ Roll Call, Vernon said EMILYs List urged her to run, so Im very hopeful to earn their endorsement. And I was urged to run by the DCCC.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committe declined to comment. EMILYs List sent an encouraging tweet when Vernon announced, but did not comment for this article.
The Cedar Rapids city councilwoman placed second in the 2014 primary for the open seat behind state Rep. Pat Murphy, losing by 3,600 votes. Democrats criticized Murphy for taking the left-leaning districtfor granted and failing to build the necessary ground game, and he ultimately lost to Blum.
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Democrats Have Early Favorite House Pickup Opportunity
Senate Democrats are threatening to vote against their own Iran legislation due to the manner that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is bringing the bill to the Senate floor.
McConnell and Senate Republicans want to show Benjamin Netanyahu that their support of his big speech to Congress wasnt just talk: They plan to try to pass bipartisan legislation to make it harder for the U.S. to strike a nuclear deal with Iran.
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But theres a big problem: McConnells rush to bring the legislation to the full Senate before its been through a committee vote has two of the bills Democratic sponsors in full rebellion mode, potentially presaging a Democratic filibuster on the floor if the bill doesnt go through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee first.
It took only a few hours for Democratic outrage to boil over after McConnell announced the Senate would vote next week on a proposal that would allow Congress to approve or reject any agreement that the U.S. and other world powers reach with Iran to wind down its nuclear program in exchange for the loosening of some sanctions. Many Democratic Iran hawks look to Senate Foreign Relations ranking member Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) for guidance on Iran issues, and an outraged Menendez said on Tuesday evening hell vote against his own bill if he has to.
There is no emergency, this deal if there is one wont be concluded until almost summer. Lets do this the right way, Menendez said. If this is the process then I will have no choice but to use my voice and vote against any motion to proceed to the bill.
A Republican aide shot back at Menendez: Launching a filibuster of your own bill is going to be pretty tough to explain to constituents.
Committee approval is expected sometime next week right as the full Senate takes up the bill. That process, similar to how McConnell began moving on approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline as soon as he took over the Senate, is irking Democrats who believe McConnell is not fulfilling his pledge to empower congressional committees.
Menendezs remarks followed a critical statement from another bill co-sponsor, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who said the push to the floor was rushed and partisan.
The effort by the Republican leadership to force the bill to the floor prior to full committee consideration is contrary to the important interests at stake. Premature action also disrespects the ongoing work to build a broad coalition of colleagues in support of this bill, Kaine said.
And a number of top Democrats including Vice President Joe Biden, whose job description includes the title President of the Senate didn't attend.
READ: Netanyahu: Deal will pave way to Iranian nuclear bomb
Netanyahu used the Tuesday speech to frame Iran as a major terrorist threat to the U.S and Israel, framing it in the same vein as ISIS and North Korea. And he argued that the deal currently in the works to prevent the nation from gaining nuclear weapons would in fact "guarantee" that it secures them "lots of them."
The expected substance of the speech, coupled with the fact that the White House was not alerted to the invite ahead of time, had drawn sharp criticism from the administration, and Democrats crying foul. National Security Adviser Susan Rice last week said Netanyahu's decision to speak was "destructive to the fabric of the relationship" between Israel and the U.S.
Related: White House gets confrontational before Netanyahu visit
At least 50 Democratic House members and eight senators who caucus with the Democrats said in recent weeks they wouldn't attend the speech, many in protest to a move that they say is an affront to the president.
Rep. Charles Rangel (N.Y.) had originally said he would skip the meeting, but changed his mind on Tuesday.
A full list of the Democrats who confirmed they missed the speech follows:
SENATE - 8 members
Sen. Al Franken (Minn.)
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58 Democrats skipped Netanyahu's speech