David Welna

Immigration Bill Chugs Along, But Some See Deal-Breakers

David Welna — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:13:00 +0000

It's been a long slog already for the bipartisan immigration overhaul proposed by the Senate's Gang of Eight.

The legislation has been the target of more than 300 amendments during days of debate and votes by the Senate Judiciary Committee. But while the bill has largely held its own so far, its prospects for getting through Congress remain uncertain.

In Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy's view, the immigration overhaul is "moving very well."

"It's moving a lot faster than people said it would," says Leahy, a Vermont Democrat.

Sen.

Congressional Hearings Put Renewed Focus On Benghazi Attack

David Welna — Tue, 07 May 2013 21:37:00 +0000

It has been nearly eight months since attacks on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, killed four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

In March, President Obama nominated Deborah K. Jones, a career diplomat and Middle East expert, to succeed Stevens.

Fears Of Government Tyranny Push Some To Reject Gun Control

David Welna — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 07:23:00 +0000

As the Senate returns from a two-week spring recess Monday, topping its agenda is legislation to try to curb the kind of gun violence that took the lives of 20 first-graders in Connecticut last December.

Recent polls show broad popular support for enhanced background checks and bans on military-style guns and ammunition.

The Senators Who Oppose DOMA, Despite Having OK'd It

David Welna — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 11:32:00 +0000

The soul-searching over the Defense of Marriage Act went viral last week after Ohio Republican Sen.

Ted Cruz: From Texas Underdog To Republican Up-And-Comer

David Welna — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 09:14:00 +0000

The keynote speaker at Saturday night's closing session of the Conservative Political Action Conference is a 42-year-old Texan who's been a U.S. senator since January.

In that short time, Tea Party Republican Ted Cruz has already made a mark — and in doing so, he's simply ignored a tradition of new senators being seen, not heard.

5 Dates To Watch In Budget Showdown

David Welna — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 19:06:00 +0000

Friday's deadline for President Obama to issue a sequestration order is neither the beginning nor the end of this year's budget battles in Washington. Here are five key moments to watch over the next seven months, and what's at stake in each:

March 1

Meet The Virginian Shaping The House GOP's Immigration Plan

David Welna — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:03:00 +0000

Comprehensive immigration reform seems to top everyone's legislative wish list this year, and bills are already taking shape in the White House and the Democratic-led Senate.

A bipartisan group of senators recently laid out a path to citizenship for millions living in the country unlawfully.

Sen. Rubio's Response Gives GOP A Chance To Woo Hispanics

David Welna — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:43:00 +0000

Republican leaders have tapped Marco Rubio, a 41-year-old Cuban-American senator from Florida, to deliver the official GOP response to President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night.

It's a chance for a party that has fared badly with both young and Hispanic voters to showcase a fast-rising, youthful Latino with a new stance on immigration.

In making the announcement on the GOP response, House Speaker John Boehner called Rubio "one of our party's most dynamic and inspiring leaders." Time magazine has Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, on its current cover, where it ca

Even In Blue Minnesota, Gun Control Seems A Tough Sell

David Welna — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 22:14:00 +0000

Minnesota has a Democratic governor, two Democratic senators, and Democrats control both houses of its Legislature.

What's Behind Rubio's 'Full Circle Back' On Immigration?

David Welna — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 23:13:00 +0000

Marco Rubio has been the junior senator from Florida for barely two years, but he's already considered a likely 2016 presidential contender.

The 41-year-old Republican's political star rose still higher this week when he joined a bipartisan group of senators offering a path to citizenship to millions of unauthorized immigrants.

It's the latest in a series of shifts on immigration by Rubio, the Miami-born son of Cuban exiles who ran for Senate in 2010 as a Tea Party-backed conservative, rejecting a so-called earned path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, which at the time he called