Al Franken's Blog, page 94
July 25, 2011
West Central Tribune: Livestock losses to hot weather are significant
Livestock losses due to the recent heat wave across Minnesota and the country are significant, according to Farm Service Agency personnel and livestock industry representatives.
In Kandiyohi County, Farm Service Agency officials and livestock producers are still assessing how many animals were lost, but County Executive Director Wes Nelson termed the losses to turkey producers as "pretty significant" with thousands of birds lost.
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© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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July 22, 2011
MPR: Franken: Defense of Marriage Act 'an injustice'
A U.S. Senate committee held hearings Wednesday about repealing the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, also known as DOMA.
The law denies federal recognition of states' same-sex marriages and civil unions. DFL Sen. Al Franken was at the Judiciary Committee hearing and said it was time to scrap the measure.
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MinnPost.com: Fate of Minnesota's small airports tied up in latest fight on Capitol Hill
A Minnesota Congressman is helping negotiate a plan on how to limit subsidies for air travel to regional airports just as small airports in northern Minnesota wait to see what will happen to their regional routes.
The House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that included provisions to cap the amount the federal government provides to subsidize travel to some regional airlines.
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© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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KAAL: Sen. Franken Looks to Prevent Pell Grant Cuts
U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-Minn) is urging President Obama to make sure college stays affordable for millions of Minnesota families and across the country.
Franken wants the president to reject any more cuts to the federal Pell Grant program as he and lawmakers work on debt limit negotiations.
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July 20, 2011
On Top Magazine: At DOMA Hearing, Al Franken Disputes Tom Minnery's Claims Against Gay Families
Minnesota Senator Al Franken on Wednesday disputed Focus on the Family official Tom Minnery's testimony in support of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
In his testimony at the first-ever Senate hearing on repeal of the law that bans federal agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples, Minnery, the head of the group's political arm, CitizenLink, stated that children fare better in a household headed by a married father and mother.
Minnery cited a 2010 Department of Health and Human Services study to support his conclusion.
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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July 15, 2011
Twin Cities Daily Planet: Sen. Al Franken talks to the AJW about the debt ceiling, Israel and the late Sen. Wellstone
The New York Times on Monday devoted a half page in its national section to the ongoing Minnesota government shutdown. At the bottom of the first column, reporter Monica Davey compared the situation in Minnesota — "the broadest shutdown in state history entering its second full week with no sign of a compromise on the horizon" — with the standoff in Washington, where President Obama and Republican leaders in Congress are locked in a tussle over raising the federal debt ceiling, and cutting spending as part of a deal.
The state and federal situations differ, the Times story noted; "but Minnesota's essential impasse sounds familiar: Republican lawmakers who control [the Legislature] want to rein in state spending and have rejected calls from Mark Dayton the Democratic governor, to raise income taxes on the wealthiest Minnesotans."
Sen. Al Franken, in his first interview with the American Jewish World since he took office two years ago, acknowledged the "tremendous parallels" between the debates in Minnesota and Washington.
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July 14, 2011
The Advocate: 15 Minutes of Franken
Last month, when The Advocate reached out to pro–marriage equality senators asking whether they believe that President Barack Obama should support full marriage rights before the 2012 election, Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota was quick to reply (one of the first, in fact) in the affirmative.
"Every American deserves equal treatment under the law, and there's no question that same-sex couples deserve full marriage recognition," Franken said. "President Obama has taken important steps to help the LGBT community, and I urge him to join me and millions of other Americans in supporting equal marriage rights for same-sex couples."
His stance has particular resonance in Minnesota, now emerging as one of the key battlegrounds on the issue. Though the state has a statutory ban on same-sex marriage, lawmakers seeking to go one step further approved a measure this spring to place a constitutional amendment measure on the 2012 ballot—one that Franken strongly opposes and one favored by his delegation colleague and a divisive presidential hopeful, Rep. Michele Bachmann.
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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MPR: Debt limit talks may target federal Medicaid payments to states
Negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on how to raise the nation's debt limit continue in Washington. Republicans are demanding steep spending cuts as a precondition for their support, while President Barack Obama says tax increases should also be part of the deal.
One program that's in negotiators' cross-hairs is Medicaid – the joint federal state health insurance program for the poor. The proposals could shift billions of dollars in costs to the states.
Last year, Minnesota's Medicaid program spent more than $7 billion to insure about 600,000 people. The federal government chipped in about 60 percent that spending.
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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July 12, 2011
Star Tribune: U.S. policy needed to stabilize housing
Two banking giants are finally making a meaningful move — easing terms on some high-risk mortgages — to help revive a national housing market flattened by foolhardy home loans and the reckless poker game Wall Street played with mortgage-backed securities.
But quickly put to rest any illusion that this is an industry acting with purely noble intentions.
The big banks — JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America — are moving belatedly and in self-interest. They've discovered that their bottom lines will benefit more by proactively modifying some high-risk loans than by letting the properties go into foreclosure.
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Pioneer Press: Dragon racing at Lake Phalen
Twelve crews battled for the Dragon Boat Championship during the 2011 Dragon Festival at Lake Phalen in St. Paul on Sunday.
The annual nonprofit Dragon Festival was created to showcase the diverse Asian Pacific Islander cultural heritage in the Twin Cities.
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© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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