Senate Democrats defeated McConnell's first effort to bring the bill to the floor for debate, arguing they didn't have time to read the 1030-page bill in the few hours he had given them, and because of these spending provisions that hit Social Security. Immediately following that defeat, the Social Security cut to people who were concurrently receiving disability benefits and unemployment insurance was removed. The second cut, which would have ended benefits to anyone with an outstanding felony warrant, was was axed before a second procedural vote Wednesday night. Democrats pointed out that the last time this was attempted, and stymied by the courts, the government had to pay back $500 million to some 80,000 people who were wrongly cut off.
McConnell got the votes of 14 Democrats after removing these provisions, and the bill is moving forward this week in the Senate. But it's not the end to his problems, and his stubbornness in pushing this bill is looking a lot like his Patriot Act debacle. The House is ready to leave town for August recess next month. It passed a highway bill that lasts for the remainder of the year, and leadership on that side have made it clear that the Senate bill "won't fly" in the House. And yet:
McConnell’s plans for weekend work suggest he intends to jam the House by passing the six-year measure and then daring the House not to pass it, with just days until federal infrastructure funding expires at the end of the month.
Meanwhile, on the Senate side amendments and grandstanding are threats as Rand Paul and Ted Cruz try to compete with fellow presidential candidate Donald Trump for some headlines. Between the two of them, they've threatened to block the bill unless they can get or block amendments on Planned Parenthood, the Export Import Bank, Obamacare, and Iran. Once again, McConnell is having a really hard time demonstrating that Republicans can govern, even within the party.
At the same time, congressional Democrats are learning that they can stand together and stand tough on protecting Social Security and win.
Link to original article from DailyKos
Imagine going to the polls on Election Day and discovering that your ballot could be collected and reviewed by the
ACLU Blueprints Offer Vision to Cut US Incarceration Rate in Half by Prioritizing 'People Over Prisons' 
"These disasters drag into the light exactly who is already being thrown away," notes Naomi Klein 
How about some good news? Kansas Democratic Representative advances bill for Native Peoples. 
What mattered was that he showed up — that he put himself in front of the people whose opinions on
On a night of Democratic victories, one of the most significant wins came in Virginia, where the party held onto
A seismic political battle that could send shockwaves all the way to the White House was launched last week in
In an interview with Reuters conducted a month after he took office, Donald Trump asserted that the U.S. had “fallen
Attorney General Jeff Sessions overturned the sweeping criminal charging policy of former attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr. and directed
Why did Democrats lose on election night? Because not enough of them were fighting for big ideas. As Sen. Bernie
Most Americans want better benefits, and they agree on how to pay for them. As strengthening Social Security becomes a