Tag: United States Senate

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz wants to place term limits on members of Congress, an idea that has long appealed to people across the political divide who have grown skeptical of the current crop of professional politicians. But even if Cruz's amendment to the U.S. Constitution were somehow enacted by the current Congress and the states – a long-shot at best – it would not bar him from running for a third or even fourth term in the Senate. Cruz and Florida U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, a Republican, introduced an amendment last week to limit U.S. senators to two six-year terms and members of the U.S. House of Representatives to three two-year terms. It's awfully difficult to get them to vote for it if they'd be immediately giving up their jobs." Cruz, who ran for president in 2016, said he would vote for a retroactive term limit proposal. Still, delaying the impact on current office holders would avoid some political awkwardness in Texas, where 25 of the state's 36 House members – many of them veterans of more than a decade in Congress – are currently in their third terms or beyond. Opponents also argue that term limits would restrict voters' choices, applying to good lawmakers as well as bad ones. The 27th Amendment – the most recent – was ratified in 1992. Trump's election vindicated an anti-establishment message, and polls show support for the idea of term limits across party lines. "They don't favor or disfavor Republicans or Democrats ...

Video More from Northern Virginia Outspoken, and sometimes controversial, republican politician Corey Stewart has decided it is time to step out of the political ring -- at least for now. “Politics sucks, it really does.” Stewart laughed, offering up a laundry list of grievances, common among campaigning politicians; too much time on the road, unhealthy eating, time away from family. “It’s time for me to move on to other things.” said the 50-year-old, sitting in his Woodbridge office. After 15 years on the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, Stewart has decided not to seek a fourth term “I’m just not excited by the board anymore, I’ve been doing this for a long time.” Stewart also plans to leave state politics for the foreseeable future. “It’s going to be very, very difficult for any Republican to win statewide in Virginia unless [Republicans are] able to catch up to the Democrats in voter registration.” Stewart admitted the announcement does not ensure he will stay out of politics for good. “No I don’t think so, [politics is] in my blood. It’s everything I’ve wanted to do since I was a little kid.” For now, Stewart plans to focus on his international trade law practice, which he said took a hit during the elections, but is doing “good,” now. He also plans to focus on his wife, Maria’s goals. “Maybe someday, I’ll come back [to politics] and I’m a fighter, I love to fight and I love politics,” he said. Despite seemingly retreating from politics, the former Trump campaign state co-chairman said he plans to reach out to the Trump administration, in hopes of discussing potential employment opportunities.

Corey Stewart is leaving politics at the end of the year and will not be seeking a fourth term as at-large chair of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, reports The Washington Post. Stewart had delayed making a decision about his future leading the board after losing his bid for U.S. Senate in November to incumbent Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine. He has no plans to leave Prince William County, Stewart said, noting it is “quintessential America.” Stewart has served as at-large chair since first winning a special election in 2006. In a State of the County address on Tuesday, Stewart is expected to reflect on his years leading the Prince William board. Play Video Play Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% Remaining Time -0:00 This is a modal window. Foreground --- White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan --- Opaque Semi-Opaque Background --- White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan --- Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window --- White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan --- Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Default Monospace Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Sans-Serif Casual Script Small Caps Defaults Done Coles District Supervisor Marty Nohe, a Republican, has announced his plan to run for chair. Nohe has been a board member since 2004 and is chairman of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority board. Haymarket resident Ann Wheeler, a Democrat. She has been a Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative board member for 14 years. Woodbridge resident Don Scoggins said he will run as an independent.

Stacey Abrams has some major decisions to make before she decides her next political step. In a Monday interview with WABE’s Rose Scott, the Democrat said she intends to take the next three months to “really think about the role that I should play” in politics. “My responsibility is to do three things: One, I need to run for office because I’m the best person for the job, not simply because there’s a job that’s open. 3, I need to make decisions not based on animus or bitterness or sadness, but really based in a pragmatism that says, ‘This is the right thing to do.’ And I’m going to use that calculus and I intend to make a decision about the job I’m going to run for next by the end of March.” An AJC blog about politics from Atlanta to Washington. Her remarks echoed what Abrams’ allies have long repeated as talk swirls about whether she would challenge U.S. Sen. David Perdue in 2020: That politicians aren’t fungible and can’t be squeezed to run for any office just because it’s on the ballot. That doesn’t mean she won’t run for the seat; she’s been aggressively lobbied by state and national Democratic figures to jump in the race. A half-dozen prominent Democrats are also considering a bid against Perdue, but the field is essentially frozen as Abrams makes up her mind. She has since launched the Fair Fight Action voting rights group, which promptly filed a sweeping lawsuit challenging the state’s electoral policies after the election. Even if she decides to take on Perdue or hold her fire until 2022, she may yet have other options. What is more certain is that Georgia Democrats will soon have the answer to one of their most pressing questions: What will Abrams do?

Senators Todd Young and Mike Braun have announced their committee assignments. Young will serve on Finance, Foreign Relations, Commerce, Science, and Transportation as well as Small Business and Entrepeneurship. He will also serve on Environment and Public Works and the Special Committee on Aging. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb and the Republican Party announced record-breaking fundraising this week. Indiana Senate Republicans released their list of legislative priorities this week. They say they want to keep the budget balanced, support more dollars and reforms for DCS, support school funding and safety. Keller is a Fort Wayne native and served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Banks during the 115th Congress. Keller will replace outgoing Chief of Staff Matt Lahr, who is leaving at the end of the week for a new position with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Banks also announced that T.W. Mark Your Calendars January 7 House Republicans unveil their Legislative Agenda - House Chamber - 10:30 a.m. Indiana Black Legislative Caucus Agenda Announcement - Senate Dem Caucus Room - 11:30 a.m. January 8 School Bus safety News Conference - Room 431- (8:30 a.m.) Indiana Forward News Conference on Hate Crimes Legislation Statehouse - 11:30 a.m. January 10 Governor Eric Holcomb’s Office Unveils the 2019-20 state budget.

When St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh on Thursday asked members of the St. Louis Public Radio political team which regional politics story they consider to have been the biggest story of 2018, they were split on their answers. Reporter Jo Mannies deemed now-former U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill’s loss to then-Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley the top story of the year, but Mannies’ colleague Jason Rosenbaum settled on the saga surrounding former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned in May. Their editor, Fred Ehrlich, ultimately sided with Rosenbaum. “I’ve been doing this for a long time … and that is the craziest story I’ve covered in my career, and that includes a lot of interesting, complicated stories,” said Ehrlich. “And one of the reasons was that almost every day there was a new twist and turn in it.” Along with the Greitens case and the U.S. Senate outcome, the conversation about the past year in politics touched on other big stories including newly elected St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell’s victory against longtime incumbent Bob McCulloch, the Illinois gubernatorial race and Missouri voters’ approval of medical marijuana. The politics team also looked ahead to what’s in store regionally in 2019. Listen to the full discussion: St. Louis on the Air brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh and producers Alex Heuer, Evie Hemphill and Lara Hamdan give you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.

Women across the country were elected at a historic rate. At the national level, Jennifer Rubin summarized: “Women will hold at least 96 seats in the House, a record; at least 23 members of the U.S. Senate and nine governors will be women. In fact, the 2019 Legislature will see a record-number of women – 25 women will serve, 19 in the House and six in the Senate. Of course, most of those women were elected by Democrats — but I keep bringing that up and people keep shoo-shooing me, so it must not mean anything. There are seven newly elected female legislators this year — six are in the House, five are Democrats and five flipped a seat from a man to a woman. After the November election, Nevada became the first state with a female-majority Legislature. In fact, Utah’s history, as the Better Days 2020 campaign has so adeptly educated, is defined by strong, powerful, passionate women. Utah was home to some of the country’s first female legislators, female doctors and female poets. So let’s take the dirty out of the word feminism and embrace all the firsts yet to come. I think 2019 will be that year also.

Georgia's contentious race for governor and a hurricane that ruined cotton, pecans, and other crops were among the state's top stories of 2018. A state law requiring motorists to drive hands-free and a cyberattack on Atlanta's computer network were also among the Top 10 stories in Georgia for the year. After a grueling and contentious race for Georgia governor, Republican Brian Kemp emerged victorious over challenger Stacey Abrams, a Democrat. Hurricane Michael slammed southwest Georgia as a powerful Category 3 hurricane after crossing the Florida Panhandle, still packing more than enough force to shred homes and ruin valuable cash crops in a destructive march toward the Carolinas. Proponents of the legislation said that distracted driving had led to a recent spike in fatal crashes. Authorities say the suspects demanded a ransom payment. The victory gave the city its first major league title since the Atlanta Braves won the 1995 World Series. The University of Georgia made it to the Southeastern Conference championship game, but lost to the University of Alabama 35-28. The airmen belonged to the 156th Airlift Wing in Muniz Air Base from Puerto Rico. An Air Force investigation blamed human error , saying the crew failed to follow standard procedures to deal with an engine problem in the air.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio says Major League Baseball can end the dangerous practice of Cuban athletes being trafficked through third countries by changing its own rules, without dealing with the Cuban government. Rubio said on Twitter Saturday the major reason baseball players undergo such travel risks stems from a requirement athletes establish “fake” residency in a country beside Cuba before signing a contract with an American ball club. “Instead of getting rid of this rule, they chose to pay ransom to the regime with a portion of the players salary,” Rubio said. Rubio immediately came out against a deal announced Dec. 19 between MLB and the Cuban Baseball Federation that would allow Cuban players over age 25 and with six years of professional ball experience to be released to play in the U.S. league. The Republican senator joined with U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart and incoming U.S. Sen. Rick Scott in calling for President Donald Trump’s administration to block the deal. At that time, Rubio said players should be allowed to negotiate their own contracts and that the arrangement with the CBF forced players to cede their rights to the Cuban regime. MLB officials have pushed back on political criticism, saying the arrangement would eliminate the risks athletes take to flee Cuba for a chance to play American baseball. In 2016, as President Barack Obama sought to normalize relations with Cuba, the federal government recognized the federation as an organization with which American businesses could negotiate independently. Rubio has maintained the sports organization remains part of a hostile regime hurting its own people, and that would include taking pay from MLB athletes playing in the U.S. under the new deal. MLB officials say they negotiated the arrangement with CBF over the course of three years.

Her father's work with refugees after his army service had taken them around the world, but the family had not lived in the U.S. before they moved to Hawaii. The one-term senator said she can't imagine how her father could've chosen between accepting food stamps to feed her and her brother or bringing his wife and the mother of his children to America. What it means to be a public charge The "public charge" term is used by U.S. The "public charge" standard was first codified into U.S. immigration law in 1882 and again in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which stipulated that those who were deemed a "public charge" would be subject to deportation or barred from entering the country. "This is such a confusing regulation, and we're in such a time of fear and uncertainty for immigrant families — and families of color in this country and families living in poverty right now — that this is really jeopardizing the health of millions of children, well beyond those that would definitely be impacted by it," Linton told CBS News. Linton said the immigrant mother told her she believed she could be deported if she enrolled in the program, even if her child was a U.S. citizen. Although the proposal does not include Medicaid and CHIP assistance in its "public charge" considerations, researchers at the Health Policy Center believe immigrant parents, particularly in Latino and Asian American communities, will drop these benefits due to concerns surrounding their immigration status and ability to remain in the U.S. legally with their children. "So, there are military men and women who are green card holders who also receive food stamps — and their families do." "And one way to subsidize those farmers is with food stamps. That is why people come to America."