Patty Murray

Dems Try To Corner GOP On Violence Against Women Act

Sahil Kapur | April 18, 2012, 2:04PM

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)

Senate Democratic women are renewing their call for Republicans to drop their opposition to expanded provisions in the Violence Against Women Act re-authorization, painting the GOP into a corner on a red-hot political issue.

Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) held a Capitol press briefing Wednesday to announce that the Democratic-led measure already has 61 cosponsors -- suggesting Republicans lack the votes for a filibuster -- and to lament continued opposition from some Republicans.

"It really is a shame that we've gotten to this point," Murray said, "That we even have to stand here today to urge our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to support legislation that has consistently received broad, bipartisan approval."

Read more »

Defense Of Marriage Act

Even After 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' Gay Soldiers Remain Unequal In The Military

Brian Beutler | November 3, 2011, 6:00AM

Paul Kennedy / Shutterstock

Two weeks ago, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) neatly demonstrated the power of retail politics -- and at the same time brought to light a legal conflict that has made the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell a bumpy affair.

Shaheen had intervened on behalf of a constituent named Charlie Morgan -- an openly gay Chief Warrant Officer in the New Hampshire National Guard -- who had just returned from a deployment in Kuwait, only to be forbidden by the military from bringing her spouse Karen to an event aimed at helping families deal with the transition back to life at home.

It's unthinkable that a straight, married service member would have faced this kind of obstacle. But though Don't Ask, Don't Tell had been stricken from the books, and Morgan was allowed to serve openly, the Defense of Marriage Act still allowed the New Hampshire National Guard to deny her spouse authorization to attend the so-called Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program.

Shaheen took Morgan's case straight to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and the policy was quickly reversed -- the Morgans were allowed to attend Yellow Ribbon event earlier this month.

But the problem isn't limited to reintegration events or the New Hampshire National Guard. It's happening nationwide -- the ripples of an inherent tension between the end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the continued existence of the Defense of Marriage Act. So advocates, politicians, and service members are handing megaphones to service members and their spouses who have suffered as a result of the conflict, to see the Defense of Marriage Act overturned by the courts or repealed by Congress.

Read more »

Jobs

Unions Take Aim At Dems Protecting Money Managers Over The Unemployed

Brian Beutler | May 21, 2010, 2:05PM

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)

Some of the Democrats who fought hardest to strengthen the Wall Street reform bill are at the same time seeking to preserve a tax loophole for money managers, which, if closed, could be used to pay for extending benefits, health care subsidies, and job creation for the unemployed. And now the biggest players in Democratic politics are taking aim at them.

"I don't know how you explain to the nurse struggling to pay her mortgage or the security guard whose son can't afford college that they should pay higher taxes than Wall Street hedge fund managers and venture capitalists," SEIU spokesperson Lori Lodes tells me. "They see what's happening in their communities - states cutting back vital services, more of their neighbors losing their jobs. What they will never be able to understand is Senators holding up a needed jobs package because they want to look out for money managers."

The senators she's talking about are almost all Democrats--including John Kerry (D-MA), Bob Casey (D-PA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), who actually voted against Wall Street reform for not doing enough to rein in financial industry excess.

Read more »

Audit the Fed

Sanders Concerned White House May Kill Fed Audit Amendment

Brian Beutler | May 4, 2010, 3:40PM

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has rounded up an impressive, bipartisan array of cosponsors to an amendment he authored requiring an audit of the Federal Reserve. Just today, he added Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to a list that includes 12 Republicans, seven Democrats, in addition to Sanders himself.

In the past, a different version of legislation opening up the fed to audit received 59 votes--one shy of the 60 required to break a filibuster. But eight of the Republicans who voted no are now cosponsors of Sanders' amendment. That should mean it's a shoo-in, right?

Not necessarily.

Read more »

Financial Reform

Sen. Shaheen Co-Sponsors Controversial Audit The Fed Amendment

Laura Colarusso | May 4, 2010, 1:24PM

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) will co-sponsor an amendment that would require government auditors to open up the books at the Federal Reserve.

The "audit the Fed" measure, first introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), is actually popular on both sides of the aisle, but is staunchly opposed by the White House, the Fed and the financial industry. Sanders is trying to round up the 60 votes it need to overcome a likely filibuster.

The Obama administration will most likely be under intense pressure to veto the entire financial reform bill if "audit the fed" survives.

Reporting by Brian Beutler

Jeanne Shaheen

Shaheen Signs Public Option Letter, Becomes No. 18

Rachel Slajda | February 18, 2010, 5:56PM

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) has signed a letter urging leadership to pass a public option via reconciliation, the 18th senator to do so.

Shaheen's office confirmed that she signed, following Sens. Chuck Schumer, Barbara Mikulski and Frank Lautenberg today.

The letter was written by Sen. Michael Bennet and will be sent to Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Other signatories so far: Sens. Bernie Sanders (VT), Al Franken (MN), Patrick Leahy (VT), John Kerry (MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), Sherrod Brown (OH), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Jeff Merkley (OR), Dianne Feinstein (CA), Roland Burris (IL), Barbara Boxer (CA), Jack Reed (RI) and Tom Udall (NM).