Need a primer on the web of legal challenges to the health reform law? SCOTUSblog will be hosting an online symposium for the next two weeks on the Affordable Care Act and the high court, if and when the Supreme Court will examine the law, what the legal questions will be, and how the justices […]
Deirdre Shesgreen
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The hottest ticket in Washington: A seat on the ‘super committee’
WASHINGTON–It’s the hottest new club in Washington, even if the name isn’t very snazzy: the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. That’s the 12-member congressional panel created under the debt ceiling agreement that just passed Congress, hours before a possible U.S. default. It’s already been dubbed a “super committee,” and it will wield enormous power. […]
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Lieberman off the fence, a “yes” on the debt deal
A spokeswman for Sen. Joseph Lieberman said this morning that the Connecticut independent will be a “yes” vote on the debt-ceiling deal, which is set for a noon vote in the Senate today. Lieberman had said yesterday that he was on the fence over the agreement, citing concerns about the possible defense cuts included in […]
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After hurried scrutiny, state House members split on debt bill
WASHINGTON-After a rushed and wrenching review, Connecticut’s five U.S. House members split over the debt-reduction deal crafted by the White House and congressional leaders to avoid a U.S. default. Capping a chaotic day and ending weeks of brinksmanship, the House approved the measure by a vote of 269 to 161, with 174 Republicans supporting the […]
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Giffords’ appearance buoys House in midst of high-stakes vote
If there was a bright spot in Monday night’s House vote on the debt-deal, at least for Democrats, it was the surprise appearance by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords for the high-stakes, high-drama vote to increase the debt ceiling and slash federal spending. Giffords is the Arizona Democrat who was shot in January, in an incident that […]
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Lieberman’s on the fence in the debt deal, citing concerns about deep defense cuts
Sen. Joseph Lieberman has been one of the most vocal members of the Connecticut delegation when it comes to calling for major fiscal reform in Washington. Any meaningful package, the Democrat-turned-independent has said, must include both tax increases and entitlement cuts. But Lieberman signaled that he might draw a line in the sand Sunday night […]
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However debt debate is resolved, impact on state will be harsh
WASHINGTON–Connecticut’s got nothing on Washington when it comes to budgetary uncertainty and legislative double-takes. Thursday’s on-again, off-again vote in the U.S. House on a Republican debt-ceiling plan underscored the ambiguity about how, or whether, lawmakers in Washington will be able to resolve the current debt-ceiling standoff. But amid the chaos, one thing is pretty clear: […]
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Boehner won’t get any votes for his debt plan from CT lawmakers
No one knows yet how the debt-ceiling standoff in Washington will end. But we can at least report that Connecticut lawmakers have lined up against the plan put forward by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, which will come up for a cliffhanger vote later this evening. Boehner’s plan would raise the debt ceiling in two […]
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Bysiewicz gets EMILY’s List nod
U.S. Senate hopeful Susan Bysiewicz got a political lift today from EMILY’s List, a national fundraising group that recruits and supports Democratic pro-choice female candidates. EMILY’s List put Bysiewicz, Connecticut’s former secretary of the state, “on the list.” That’s not a full-fledged endorsement but it will almost certainly help draw Democratic donors to her campaign. […]
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Larson: House Democrats back 14th Amendment “fail-safe” in debt standoff
WASHINGTON-House Democrats are urging President Barack Obama to use an untested legal option to unilaterally raise the debt ceiling if congressional Republicans don’t agree on a long-term plan to stave of U.S. default in the coming days. “We’re getting down to decision time,” Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, told reporters after a closed-door meeting with […]
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Larson, Courtney on frontlines in dealing with allegations against Oregon Dem
House Democrats are confronting another possible sex scandal within their ranks, and two Connecticut lawmakers will be on the frontlines of handling the fallout. The Portland Oregonian reported on Friday that a young woman called the office of Rep. David Wu, D-Ore., this spring and accused him of an “unwanted sexual encounter.” House Minority Leader […]
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Blumenthal, Lieberman back Reid plan, minus any enthusiasm
Washington’s debt-ceiling drama seems to produce a new proposed plan every day. But for what it’s worth, both of Connecticut’s U.S. senators are on board with the latest solution, put forward by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Reid’s plan would raise the debt ceiling by $2.7 trillion and cut federal deficits by the same amount–$2.7 […]
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For all the wrangling, debt ceiling hasn’t limited debt
WASHINGTON–If there’s one thing Republicans and Democrats can agree on in the current debt-ceiling standoff, it’s that the nation’s legal borrowing cap has failed in its primary goal: limiting the nation’s debt. After all, how can anyone argue that the debt ceiling has served to rein in federal borrowing, when the cap has been lifted […]
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Melding technology and health reform for ‘patient empowerment’
WASHINGTON–Lygeia Ricciardi sits at the intersection of federal health care reform and the digital revolution. Her job, in a nutshell, is to transform lofty and complex public health goals into easy-to-use, Internet-ready “patient empowerment” tools. Ricciardi’s universe is a place where an elderly woman can use a wireless scale to weigh herself each day, with […]
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Liberal Democrats, Tea Party Republicans skeptical of debt plan
WASHINGTON–What does Rep. John Larson, a Connecticut liberal and congressional veteran, have in common with Rep. Blake Farenthold, a Tea Party freshman from Texas? Both are deeply skeptical about the latest proposal being floated in Washington to raise the nation’s debt ceiling and cut federal spending. Their shared outlook on the current debt-ceiling standoff ends […]