Despite voter objection, Senate votes 60-39 to push government takeover of health care
In a late Saturday night vote, Harry Reid's 2,074 healthcare reform bill secured the 60 votes needed in the US Senate allowing debate to begin when Senators return on November 30.
Three Democrat senators whose support for the Reid [...]
Some defense and immigration attorneys criticized [...]
The U.S. Senate tonight confirmed the nominations of Iowa’s two U.S. attorney nominees, Stephanie Rose for Iowa’s northern district in Cedar Rapids, and Nick Klinefeldt for Iowa’s southern district in Des Moines.
Below is the statement of Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, who recommended their nominations.
HARKIN CONGRATULATES IOWA’S NEWLY CONFIRMED U.S. ATTORNEYS [...]
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin addressed the Hy-Vee Hall crowd via video, saying he expected Gov. Chet Culver to win re-election and praising congressional Democrats’ work on health-care reform.
He remained in Washington for a key procedural vote to move a health-care reform bill forward in the Senate. After he spoke, Iowa [...]
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley opposed the procedural measure in the Senate to allow a health care proposal to advance, although the position mattered little in light of majority Democrats’ unified stance.
Grassley, a senior Republican and ranking member of the finance committee, said he opposed the Senate bill that combines his [...]
If you'd like to watch online, the IDP will be livestreaming the proceedings here, beginning at 6:30 pm central.
Senator Tom Harkin [...]
The Register’s Kathie Obradovich reports that U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin will not make it to the Iowa Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner in person tomorrow night because he’ll be busy trying to pass health care reform in Washington, D.C. In his absence, the party will play a video greeting from [...]
Now that Democratic leaders in the Senate have unveiled their health care reform plan, Democrats have “rounded third [base] and we’re heading to home,” U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Cumming, said Wednesday night.
During an interview with MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, Harkin said no one in the Democratic caucus wants to [...]
Critics of the massive immigration raid in Postville and the subsequent judicial fast-tracking of detained immigrants on criminal charges have been widely expressing their concerns about Stephanie Rose, the U.S. Attorney nominee for the Northern District of Iowa who took part in the legal proceedings. While U.S. Sen. [...]
The push is on to dilute the climate change bills moving through Congress, and it’s not coming only from conservatives. Mother Jones’ Kate Sheppard reports today that 14 Senate Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, are urging their leadership to amend the proposal to grant more free polluting permits [...]
U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin bridged the great political divide today to issue similar statements praising and honoring America’s veterans.
Grassley’s official statement:
America’s veterans put their lives on the line to defend freedom, protect national security and secure the safety of loved ones at home.
It’s important on Veterans [...]
Though it’s been little mentioned throughout the health reform debate, there’s a showdown brewing between House and Senate Democrats over the future of the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program, previously known as SCHIP.
House lawmakers have proposed to do away with the program at the end of 2013, transitioning millions [...]
Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin said today the House-passed health care bill “goes too far” in restricting insurance providers from covering abortions.
The Democrat said he supported the status quo, which prohibits federal funding for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or to save the woman’s life.
“I fear that the House-passed [...]
JOHNSTON – U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin thinks the country should have a debate on whether the Medicare program providing health care to U.S. seniors ought to be expanded to cover children as well.
Harkin floated the idea with reporters after a taping Friday of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press.”
“It’s [...]
Christopher Reed formally announced his candidacy to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack of the 2nd Congressional District on Thursday, and in doing so vowed to run a less contentious campaign than he did in 2008 against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin.
In that campaign, which Reed [...]
(This is the print version of the story about Sen. Tom Harkin’s health-insurer price investigation.)
Sen. Tom Harkin said Tuesday he was launching an investigation into health insurance pricing, asking four major insurers to justify their pricing practices.
An industry spokesman called the move unfair and misguided.
Harkin, chairman of the Committee on [...]
Four major yet private health insurance companies are being asked to justify to a U.S. Senate committee their pricing policies and to provide detailed information on any employee or officer who makes $5 million or more a year.
The investigation, launched today by Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, comes after small business [...]
A Marion man who previously campaigned for U.S. Senate will officially throw his hat into Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District race this Thursday and kick off his campaign with a three-city tour.
Christopher Reed, who narrowly won a three-way Republican primary to challenge U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin in [...]
"As I said" [...]
While once again renewing his call that a Congressional health care reform will bill with a public option will be passed and on Pres. Barack Obama’s desk by Christmas, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin suggested that there are several reasons why speculation that Connecticut’s independent senator would block a bill with [...]
At the end of this morning’s conference call with U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, all the national topics — health care reform, climate change, unemployment benefits — had been picked over via questions from about 10 reporters. I couldn’t resist [...]
Two days, two U.S. Senators from Iowa, two different outlooks on the value of including a public option to access the federal employees health plan. Yesterday U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said a public option isn’t defensible as part of federal health' [...]
Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin today said sometimes politicians slip up, say, when they congratulate one Iowa college football team and not another.
Harkin, a Democrat, was asked about fellow Democrat, Gov. Chet Culver, and his weekend congratulatory press release to the undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes, while failing to also note Iowa State’s [...]
Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin said he is a key player on the progress of a combined Senate health care bill, despite Sen. Chris Dodd’s role representing the committee Harkin chairs in talks.
“When I took over the committee I agreed, in fact wanted, Sen. Dodd to continue to be our point [...]
By Mike Thayer
Back in early September I wrote Senator Tom Harkin regarding my concerns with Obama's czars. Motivated by the discovery that then 'Green Jobs' czar Van Jones was an admitted socialist and Obama's choice of Cass Sunstein to be 'Regulation' czar, I asked Harkin some very targeted [...]
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