Ben Nelson

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John McCain Livid Over Popcorn Subsidy

Trying to kill pork project of strangely silent Nebraska senators

(Newser) - Nebraska's two senators have been quiet—you might even say sneaky—about inserting a provision to help popcorn growers into the new farm bill. Both are on the Agriculture Committee, and they slid a provision into the bill saying that the Agriculture secretary "may" consider revenue insurance subsidies...

Palin Favorite Scores Upset in Nebraska

Little-known Deb Fischer nails GOP nod for Senate race

(Newser) - Nebraskans went to the polls today, and while Mitt Romney's victory was a foregone conclusion— CNN called it early—the real race to watch was the Republican Senate primary, won by a Sarah Palin favorite. Little-known state Sen. Deb Fisher, who garnered a flurry of Tea Party endorsements after...

Kerrey to Run for Nebraska Senate Seat

Former governor jumps back into arena

(Newser) - Bob Kerrey plans to jump back into the political fray with a run for Ben Nelson's Nebraska Senate seat, a senior Democratic aide tells the Washington Post . Kerrey, a former Nebraska governor and senator, had been floated as a possible candidate as soon as Nelson announced his retirement , but...

Many States Lag in Embracing Obamacare

States have chance to organize their own 'exchanges'

(Newser) - Obamacare needs more than the Supreme Court's approval this summer. It also requires states to organize "exchanges" where people can buy health insurance—but 75% of uninsured Americans live in states that are yet to get cracking, the AP reports. Some states, like Florida and Louisiana, have flat-out...

Bad News for Dems? Ben Nelson Retiring

Nebraska seat could shift to Republicans in Senate

(Newser) - Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson won't seek reelection next year, potentially harming Democratic hopes to hold onto the Senate majority, Politico reports. Though Nelson's approval ratings had struggled, they were on the rise this year, thanks in part to $1 million in national Democratic Party advertising. Meanwhile, Republicans spent...

Senate Dems Float 5% Millionaires' Tax

Instead of the raft of tax changes President Obama proposed

(Newser) - Senate Democrats today proposed a 5% surtax on all income above $1 million as a way to pay for President Obama’s jobs bill—throwing out Obama’s more intricate suggestion for eliminating various tax deductions for the wealthy, oil companies, and other businesses. The surtax would hit all income,...

No One Wants To Be on Debt 'Super Committee'

Lawmakers say 'not it' as lobbyists chomp at the bit to influence panel

(Newser) - Legislators aren't exactly jumping to volunteer for the 12-man "super committee" created by the debt ceiling deal, which promises to be a thankless and heavily lobbied job, the LA Times reports. “I'm not that much of a glutton for punishment,” says Jon Kyl. “This...

Rebel Senate Dems Eye Health Care Repeal

Centrists target individual mandate

(Newser) - A group of centrist Senate Democrats is looking into ways to repeal the new health care law's individual mandate—the heart of health care reform, and a key target for Republicans. West Virginia's Joe Manchin and at least three other senators—all from states President Obama lost in 2008 and...

GOP to Dems: Help Us Repeal ObamaCare

Republicans try to sway Senators facing 2012 election

(Newser) - Republicans are leaning on at-risk or moderate Senate Democrats to help them pick apart the Democrats’ health care reform bill. Strategists tell Politico that they think they can sway Ben Nelson, Jim Webb, and Jon Tester, since all come from red-tinged states and face 2012 reelection campaigns. They also expect...

Senator Nelson: 'I've Never Used an ATM'

Which makes it hard to be mad at fees

(Newser) - Ben Nelson is taking some razzing today for comments he made to the Omaha World-Herald about ATM fees: “I've never used an ATM, so I don't know what the fees are,” said the 69-year-old Nebraska senator. "It's true, I don't know how to use one. But I...

GOP Blocks Test Vote on Finance Reform

Democrats vow to try again this week

(Newser) - Senate Republicans have blocked Democrats' efforts to begin debate on overhauling the nation's financial regulatory system. The vote was the first Senate showdown on the sweeping legislation. Democrats failed to get the 60 votes today needed to begin debate. One Democrat, Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, voted with the Republicans...

Obama: Cut Pork From Health Bill. Senate: Say What?

Prez gets pushback from senators looking to hang on to pet projects

(Newser) - There's $600 million in Medicaid payments to Vermont, $100 million for a Connecticut hospital, and the infamous "Cornhusker Kickback," among others, and President Obama wants to yank those porky projects from the health care bill. Democratic senators, being senators, beg to differ. "We're going to do what...

Senate Could Kill Obama's Student Loan Fix

Private lenders have friends in the upper chamber of Congress

(Newser) - House Democrats are trying to find a way to pass Barack Obama’s student loan reform plan, but they may be powerless in the face of the Senate's intent to kill it. Because the Senate is full of private lending allies willing to filibuster the bill, Democrats had hoped to...

Obama Unveils $950B Health Care Bill

Merged proposal mostly follows Senate outline

(Newser) - Barack Obama today revealed the health care proposal he’ll be taking into bipartisan meetings this week, a $950 billion bill that hews closer to the Senate’s model than the House’s. The plan seeks to resolve some of the contentious issues between the two bills, cutting, for example,...

Senate Dems Cry 'Uncle' on Cap and Trade

Nervous moderates ask White House not to push climate bill

(Newser) - At least half a dozen Senate Democrats have asked the White House to back off on its push for cap-and-trade climate legislation, afraid another bruising partisan battle like health care could wreck their 2010 reelection prospects. “Climate change in an election year has very poor prospects,” says Kent...

Nebraska Senator for Sale—Cheap!
 Nebraska Senator 
 for Sale—Cheap!  
OPINION
Dec 23, 2009 4:19 AM CST

Nebraska Senator for Sale—Cheap!

Ben Nelson was easily bribed, writes Michael Gerson

(Newser) - There's a fine line between bribery and political maneuvering and Harry Reid's brazen buyoff of Ben Nelson was nowhere near it, writes Michael Gerson. The Nebraska senator was granted an exemption on the state paying its share of Medicare expansion that will add up to $100 million over 10 years...

Pork Applied Liberally to Grease Health Care Votes

Critics slam Senate bill's special deals for holdouts

(Newser) - A close look at the health bill before the Senate reveals that there was no shortage of pork-barrel spending thrown in to get the Democrats the 60 votes they needed. The "cash-for-cloture" deals include one dubbed the "Louisiana Purchase"—$100 million in Medicare cash for the state....

Nelson's Compromise Pays Off for Nebraska

Feds will pick up state's costs for Medicaid expansion

(Newser) - It pays to be stubborn sometimes. In addition to stricter language on abortion coverage in the health care bill, Ben Nelson wrung a concession from Harry Reid and company that will pay dividends for his home state of Nebraska. The federal government will pick up the state's cost for the...

Stupak Tried to Scuttle Deal on Abortion

Emails suggest he worked with GOP's McConnell against it

(Newser) - Bart Stupak is apparently unmoved by the compromise on abortion language included in the Senate bill, and the Democratic congressman seems willing to work with Republican leaders to make his case. One of his aides this morning sent urgent emails to Catholic bishops and various anti-abortion groups imploring them to...

Ben Nelson Says He's In, Giving Reid His 60 Votes

 Ben Nelson 
 Says He's In, 
 Giving Reid  
 His 60 Votes 

senate health care scramble
Dec 19, 2009 9:03 AM CST

Ben Nelson Says He's In, Giving Reid His 60 Votes

Reid unveils final version of bill, including concessions on abortion

(Newser) - The last Democratic holdout on health care reform came into the tent this morning, as Ben Nelson said he will vote for the bill. "We're there," Sen. Kent Conrad told the Washington Post as he headed into a meeting to announce the deal, and Nelson, asked if he...

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