Tag Archives: Senate

U.S. Senate urges quick agreement on defense aid for Israel

An Iron Dome launcher fires an interceptor rocket in the southern Israeli city of

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – More than four-fifths of the U.S. Senate have signed a letter urging President Barack Obama to quickly reach an agreement on a new defense aid package for Israel worth more than the current $3 billion per year.

Eighty-three of the 100 senators signed the letter, led by Republican Lindsey Graham and Democrat Chris Coons. Senator Ted Cruz, a 2016 presidential candidate, was one of the 51 Republicans on board. The Senate’s Democratic White House hopeful, Bernie Sanders, was not among the 32 Democrats.

“In light of Israel’s dramatically rising defense challenges, we stand ready to support a substantially enhanced new long-term agreement to help provide Israel the resources it requires to defend itself and preserve its qualitative military edge,” said the letter, which was first reported by Reuters.

It did not provide a figure for the suggested aid. Israel wants $4 billion to $4.5 billion in aid in a new agreement to replace the current memorandum of understanding, or MOU, which expires in 2018. U.S. officials have given lower target figures of about $3.7 billion. They hope for a new agreement before Obama leaves office in January.

The Obama administration wants to cement a new 10-year defense aid deal before he leaves office in January to demonstrate his commitment to Israel’s security, especially after reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran that Israel strongly opposed. Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have had a tense relationship.

A White House official said discussions with Israel were continuing.

“We are prepared to sign an MOU with Israel that would constitute the largest single pledge of military assistance to any country in U.S. history,” the official said.

The funding is intended to boost Israel’s military and allow it to maintain a technological advantage over its Arab neighbors.

The letter said the Senate also intends to consider increased U.S. funding for cooperative missile defense programs, similar to increases in the past several years.

Obama has asked for $150 million for such programs, but lawmakers are believed to be willing to send Israel hundreds of millions for programs like its Iron Dome air defense system and the David’s Sling medium- and long-range military defense system.

(Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Sandra Maler and Bernadette Baum)

U.S. Senate Boosts Travel Security

Passengers make their way in a security checkpoint at the International JFK airport in New York

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republicans and Democrats in the Senate reached a deal on Thursday to boost travel security at airports in the aftermath of the Brussels attacks, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Under the deal, the source said, lawmakers agreed to amend a Federal Aviation Administration bill with provisions that would bolster the vetting of airport employees with access to secure areas and authorize the Transportation Security Administration to donate security equipment to foreign airports with direct flights to the United States.

The provisions would also order a new U.S. assessment of foreign cargo security programs, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

Lawmakers and their aides were continuing to negotiate over other security items that could also be added, including federal grant money for training state and local law enforcement to respond to emergencies involving armed attacks, the source said.

The deal is being brokered by Senator John Thune of South Dakota, Republican chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and the panel’s top Democrat, Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, the source said.

In coming days, the Senate is expected to vote on the FAA authorization bill, which would renew the aviation agency’s programs through September 2017.

The House of Representatives has been considering its own FAA legislation. That bill also calls for the privatization of the U.S. air traffic control system, a measure that is not in the Senate’s legislation.

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

NSA Phone Spy Programs Stop When Senate Fails To Act

Due to the actions of Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, the National Security Agency is no longer allowed to spy on American’s phone calls and are no longer allowed to collect bulk phone data.

The action is considered temporary as eventually Senator Paul will not be able to stop passage of legislation that would allow certain spy programs to continue. The current Patriot Act had a Sunday night deadline to be renewed or all the spy programs approved by the law had to immediately end.

Several Republican senators were upset with their colleague stopping the law.

“We cannot go back to a pre-9/11 mentality,” New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte told Fox News.

 

“The Senate took an important–if late–step forward tonight,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement after the Senate moved forward with debate on the Act. “We call on the Senate to ensure this irresponsible lapse in authorities is as short-lived as possible.”

Officials with the NSA told CNN they officially shut down the program at 7:44 p.m. Sunday night ahead of the Senate’s inaction on the bill.

The Senate is waiting to vote on the USA Freedom Act, which makes big changes to the NSA’s ability to collect phone data but keeps other parts of the Patriot Act’s spying authorization attacks.

Texas Senate Advances Bill Banning Sharia Law

The Texas Senate has advanced a bill that would prohibit family courts in the state from considering Sharia Law when it conflicts with state law.

While the law itself does not mention Sharia Law by name, the intent of the bill from Senator Donna Campbell is to keep Sharia law from overriding federal or state Constitutions.  There had been concerns of non-Constitutional sources being used in family courts and dealing with marriage and divorce matters.

“A ruling or decision of a court, arbitrator, or administrative adjudicator under this title may not be based on a foreign law if the application of that law would violate a fundamental right guaranteed by the United States Constitution or the constitution or a statute of this state,” the bill states.

The Bill passed the Senate 20-11 after passing a House committee 5-1 last week.

“Sen. Campbell has done a great job in leading senators to advance the laws that protect our basic rights from infringement,” commented Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in a statement. “SB 531 upholds Texas morals from foreign laws that contradict or violate our laws and our beliefs.”

An Islamic tribunal formed in North Texas earlier this year to arbitrate disputes between Muslims such as divorce proceedings.

“All our decisions point back to the Koran and Sunna … and what the prophet Mohammed left to us,” Dr. Taher el-Badawi, Islamic Tribunal judge, told KEYE TV.

Kentucky Senator Filibusters Over NSA Bulk Collection Procedures

“There comes a time in the history of nations when fear and complacency allow power to accumulate and liberty and privacy to suffer.”

With those words, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul took to the Senate floor for an eleven hour unofficial filibuster to call out the dangers of the Patriot Act’s allowing the NSA to collect information about the phone calls of all Americans.

It marked the second time Paul had used the filibuster to bring attention to what he feels are the NSA’s illegal methods for collecting information on Americans.

The Patriot Act allows the government to collect “metadata” of every call made on American phones.  While the government does not collect the actual content of the calls, the government knows who is on the phone calls and can track who an American is speaking with and for how long they speak.

The sections of the Patriot Act that allow for the bulk collection of the data expires on June 1 and while Republicans leaders in the Senate want to allow it to continue, the Senate is voting on a House-passed bill that removes the NSA authorization to collect bulk data versus a system that will allow surveillance only if a judge approves a specific request.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on whether to allow the bulk collection of American’s phone records to continue before Memorial Day.

Senate Passes Resolution Calling For Release of Iranian Prisoners

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill Monday calling for Iran to immediately release three Americans wrongfully imprisoned and for Iran to help in locating a missing fourth American.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell singed out Abedini who has been imprisoned for two and a half years because of his Christian faith.

“One of those Americans, Saeed Abedini, has reportedly been held prisoner for what would appear to be the supposed ‘crime’ of attempting to build and operate an orphanage. Beaten, denied access to medical care, and locked away in solitary confinement — that’s apparently how the Iranian regime deals with those who dare to show love and compassion to others,” he said.

The bill passed 90-0 with ten Senators missing.  Several were on the campaign trail but their spokesman said they supported the bill.

“No American should find this acceptable. Just as no American should find it acceptable to unjustly imprison a reporter, or a grandson coming to see his grandmother. I think we can all agree that, at the very least, the American government should not be rewarding Iran for its disgraceful human-rights abuses — that we should not be granting Iran access to the funding it desires to further its nuclear weapons program and terrorist proxies while this exploitation continues,” said McConnell.

“They shouldn’t have sat down at the table before these four people were released, or accounted for,” Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho) told The Hill.

New York Senate Expected To Block Abortion Expansion

Republicans in the New York State Senate are expected to block a bill from the state Assembly that would expand abortion into the third trimester.

The bill, AB6221, was approved by the Assembly on Tuesday 94-49.

“The state shall not deny a woman’s right to obtain an abortion as established by the United States Supreme Court in the decision Roe v. Wade,” the bill reads. “Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, New York protects a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy within 24 weeks from commencement of her pregnancy, or when necessary to protect a woman’s life or health as determined by a licensed physician.”

The bill had been part of a “women’s equality” bill but was separated into a stand-alone bill.

The head of New York State Right to Life told LifeNews that the bill shows the power of the abortion lobby in the state.

“Expanding cruel and brutal third-trimester abortions has long been a goal of the anti-life lobby who never met an abortion they didn’t like,” Lori Kehoe, New York State Right to Life executive director, told LifeNews. “With no regard for the fully developed unborn baby who is violently dismembered, or otherwise killed, the New York State Assembly once again put the abortion lobby above New York State women and their children.”

 

Senate Candidate Who Championed Pro-Life Win Big In Election

America saw victories for life all over the country Tuesday night.

Many Senate candidates who spoke up for the lives of unborn children won resounding victories in the 2014 mid-term elections, bringing a more pro-life agenda to Washington, D.C.

“I think what you saw here are candidates who embrace the values, the values voters embrace them,” Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council said after the results were announced. “I think this was a clear referendum on Barack Obama and his liberal policies, and I think that is going to come with a mandate to the Republicans that they address these issues and address them quickly.”

Several political observers say that Kansas Senator Pat Roberts’ strong advocacy in the election for the lives of unborn child was a factor in the surprisingly large win.  Pollsters had expected the race to be close, but most voters for Roberts said his stance for life was one of the reasons they voted for him.

The pro-life Susan B. Anthony list was especially pleased by the win of Joni Ernst in Iowa.

“Ernst is the most significant among the Susan B. Anthony list’s efforts, because this is an unapologetic pro-life woman who will be on the floor for the U.S. Senate advocating for pro-life legislation,” SBAL president Marjorie Dannenfelser said. “And that is an enormous victory for women and the Susan B. Anthony List. Everything that we have done for this election is for gaining the Senate and having a woman be a great spokeswoman in the Senate.”

Senate Approves $225 Million For Israel

The U.S. Senate has approved $225 million dollars for Israel’s Iron Dome defense system.

“We could not go out for a month or five week [on vacation] and not act to help the Israelis replenish their supply of Iron Dome missiles,” Senator John McCain of Arizona said at a press conference.

Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma who objected to the bill because of budget concerns had originally held the bill.  However, Coburn relented after speaking with McCain and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham to see the urgent need for Israel.

“[The Israeli people need to know] we will stand with them and that we will provide them with what they need in order to defend themselves,” said McCain.

The House approved the bill 395-8 on Friday.  The eight representatives who voted against it were Keith Ellison of Minnesota, Zoe Lofgren of California, Jim Moran of Virginia, Justin Amash of Michigan, Walter Jones of North Carolina, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Mark Sanford of South Carolina and Beto O’Rourke of Texas.

Democratic Bill To Reverse Hobby Lobby Decision Fails

A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate by a pair of anti-life Senators to overrule the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Hobby Lobby case has failed.

Washington Senator Patty Murray and Utah Senator Mark Udall introduced what they called the “Protect Women’s Health From Corporate Interference Act” that would have stripped people of faith in the United States from owning and operating their own business unless they provided abortion causing drugs to their employees.

The bill failed in the Senate because the Democrats could not obtain 60 votes to bring debate to cloture and move to a full vote.  The bill failed 56-43 along mostly party lines to keep the bill from advancing.

Christian organizations celebrated the fact 43 Senators still believe Americans have the right to religious freedom.

“While the Senate rightfully rejected this unjust bill, today is a reminder of the need to stand vigilant in defense of our God-given freedoms against those who would take them away,” Alliance Defending Freedom lawyer Casey Mattox said.