Al Franken's Blog, page 95
July 12, 2011
Indian Country: Opportunity Knocks at US Senate: Experts Tiptoe, Native Leaders Respond
Chairman Daniel Akaka of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs called for critical thinking about federal Indian law at the June 9 Oversight Hearing on Domestic Policy Implications of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He repeatedly asked where the U.N. Declaration challenged U.S. law.
Akaka pointedly sought a "personal opinion" from the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, separate from the position of the Interior Department. The Deputy declined to go beyond Obama administration talking points, even after Senator Al Franken added pressure by pointing out grossly inadequate funding of Indian education in Obama's budget.
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© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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July 8, 2011
WCCO: Franken Reflects On 2 Years In Office
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© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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MinnPost.com: Obama risks losing the left by considering entitlement cuts
The biggest news out of the bipartisan deficit reduction talks was that President Obama had put Medicare and Social Security on the negotiating table.
Democrats have long considered the social safety nets protected from the types of spending cuts that congressional Republicans have pursued as part of a deficit reduction package to accompany an increase in the national debt ceiling. So on Thursday, they reacted predictably harshly to the news, warning any cuts to services or eligibility in Medicare or Social Security could jeopardize their support for any deficit reduction plan that comes to them for a vote.
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© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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July 7, 2011
WCCO: Franken Reflects On 2 Years In Office
It seems Minnesota can't avoid big political controversy. Right now, the state government is shut down.
And just two years ago, we were divided by the seemingly never-ending Al Franken/Norm Coleman senate race. The State Supreme Court sided with the Democrat Franken, and Thursday marks his second year in office.
As he traveled between St. Paul and Minneapolis last month, Franken snuck in a joke about the most controversial election in Minnesota history.
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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CBS News: Senate Dems insist they'll protect Medicare in debt talks
Amid reports that the White House is ready to accept cuts to Medicare in its debt reduction negotiations with Republicans, Senate Democrats today reiterated their pledge to protect the government health care program.
"Social Security and Medicare are great American success stories," Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said in a press conference, "and we are committed to keeping them for the future."
President Obama yesterday implored both Democrats and Republicans to leave their "comfort zones" to achieve "real compromise" on the budget, adding, "I'm ready to do that. I believe there are enough people in each party that are willing to do that." He has invited Republican and Democratic congressional leaders to the White House for a meeting Thursday to work through the "real differences" that he says remain to get a deal done to raise the debt ceiling.
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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MinnPost.com: Democrats reiterate support for top-tier tax increases as deficit reduction debate heats up
The Senate was scheduled to have this week off after the Fourth of July holiday. Instead senators are back in Washington, and the federal budget is the topic taking center stage.
A group of Democrats, including Minnesota's Al Franken, affirmed their support for higher top-tier taxes Wednesday, a day before a non-binding resolution calling for higher taxes on millionaires could hit the Senate floor. The senators' endorsement of such plan came just after the chair of the Senate Budget Committee introduced his colleagues to a left-leaning budget plan that relies almost equally on tax increases and spending cuts to trim the federal deficit.
Speaking at a Capitol news conference, Franken and a handful of other Senators targeted the Republican House budget plan, contending the budget cuts Medicare funding at the expense of tax breaks for the wealthy. The group painted Republicans as supporters of tax cuts for, among other things, "yachts, race horses and gold mines."
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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July 6, 2011
Pioneer Press: St. Paul Saints promotion celebrates light-rail project – with the living dead
Fans of Bill Murray's performance in the movie "Zombieland" will appreciate the following: Halloween comes early this year when zombies take over the baseball stands for "Welcome to Zombieland." The marketing managers at Midway Stadium are showcasing their trademark humor by giving Thursday night's St. Paul Saints game a zombie theme in honor of the Central Corridor Light Rail project.
What's the connection between the living dead and light rail construction? A statement from the Saints indicates the zombie theme is meant to be ironic, as "University Avenue is Alive!"
The evening is an apparent rejoinder to those who say light-rail construction is leaving small businesses along University Avenue half dead, despite the efforts of city officials to offer select parking improvements and up to $20,000 in no-interest loans and grants.
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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Star Tribune: Editorial: A misguided war on Planned Parenthood
Not long ago, a prominent religious leader told Star Tribune Editorial Board members in an informal conversation that Planned Parenthood is the "face of abortion" in this country. He said he supported Republican-led national efforts to cut Title X funding to the organization, even though federal law bars those funds from being used for abortions.
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© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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June 30, 2011
MinnPost.com: State delegation wants FDA to end delays in medical device review process
Minnesota's two senators and all eight members of Congress have sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration, saying delays in review of medical devices "are hindering innovation, delaying patient access to new therapies, and undermining the U.S. medical industry's global leadership."
The letter was from Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken and U.S. Reps. Erik Paulsen, Collin Peterson, John Kline, Betty McCollum, Keith Ellison, Michele Bachmann, Tim Walz, and Chip Cravaack.
Minnesota is big in medical device technology, with more than 400 companies that employ more than 30,000 people.
© Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota, 2011. |
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