Michigan Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak, the author of an amendment to the House health care bill that would ban federal funding from being used for abortions, has become a whipping boy of fellow Democrats on the campaign trail of late. New Hampshire Rep. Paul Hodes, who is running for retiring Sen. Judd Gregg’s (R) seat next November, sent out an e-mail to his supporters Wednesday asking them to sign a petition insisting that the Stupak amendment be stripped from the final bill. (It is not currently in the Senate’s version being carried by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.) “This amendment goes further than any other federal law in restricting a woman’s right to choose,” writes Hodes. “That’s why I voted against it and that’s why I’m fighting to ensure it is not included in the final bill.”
Vermont and seven other states will share nearly $4 million in economic stimulus funding to support a green jobs program.
Vermont led an eight-state Northeast Research Consortium that applied for a research grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders says the states will use the funding to produce data on the demand for green jobs, and list job openings and job training in clean energy industries as part of an effort to develop a green jobs bank.The other states involved in the research are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island.
Sen. Susan Collins is taking the Obama administration to task over its handling of vaccine supplies for the H1N1 virus and seasonal flu. At a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on the issue yesterday, Collins said the administration has not been upfront about the problems that have slowed the production and distribution of the vaccines.
Collins, the ranking Republican on the committee, said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified last month that there would be “enough vaccine to vaccinate every American who wants to be vaccinated.” But Collins said that’s not been the case. “It is now mid-November and we know supply production is still lagging,” she said.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi will endorse Representative Michael Capuano’s Senate bid in Massachusetts in Boston on Friday, Mr. Capuano’s campaign has announced.
“Whether taking on the CEOs of the financial services industry, supporting marriage equality, or voting against the Iraq war because he didn’t believe the Bush administration made the case to take military action, Mike Capuano has a proven record of standing up for progressive values and what he believes is right,” Ms. Pelosi, Democrat of California, said in a statement.
United States Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse met with LGBT Rhode Islanders on Nov. 12 to discuss gay rights issues…
Whitehouse has been a longtime supporter of gay rights, having scored the highest possible rating from the Human Rights Campaign for his record of supporting legislation that combats discrimination against LGBT Americans…
Whitehouse also condemned Gov. Don Carcieri’s recent veto of a bill that would’ve allowed gays and lesbians to make funeral arrangements for their same-sex partners.
“It was a callous and reprehensible decision”, Whitehouse said. “I’m sorry (Carcieri) made that decision.”
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd Thursday officially launched his effort to overhaul the U.S.’s financial regulatory structure by saying that a new regime is needed to fill the “gaping holes” in the current structure.
“We have pulled back from the brink. But our examination found that the underlying problems in our financial sector leave us vulnerable to relapse. I will say as plainly as I can: I don’t know that our economy can survive another shock,” he said in his opening statement.
What’s going on in your state?
