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senate-minority

Democrats’ Rising Star Meets With Lawmakers On Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) — The Democratic party’s newest star, New York City congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, visited the Capitol Tuesday to meet with lawmakers who may soon be colleagues. The 28-year-old former bartender, who defeated one of the most powerful House Democrats last month, had lunch with California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and met with several members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Khanna was the only member of Congress to endorse Ocasio-Cortez, a self-described democratic socialist, before her upset victory over Rep. Joe Crowley, a member of the House Democratic leadership. Khanna called Ocasio-Cortez “a bold champion for progressive values” and said he looks forward to working with her in Congress. Another New York Democrat, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, did not meet with Ocasio-Cortez, but said he was not concerned that her brand of politics could drag down Democrats in less liberal states. “On economic issues, Democrats are united in a very strong way,” Schumer told reporters. “We’re all for improving health care and lowering the cost, … making it easier for middle-class people and people trying to get there to get a good job. The unity on issues is very strong.” Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a member of the progressive caucus, said she talked with Ocasio-Cortez for about 15 minutes in her office. “It was nice to meet her,” Gabbard said. The caucus co-chairs, Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva and Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan, also met separately with Ocasio-Cortez. A spokesman for Pocan said they discussed possible committee assignments, what she hoped to work on in Congress and how the progressive caucus could work with her. Ocasio-Cortez has caused a stir in Democratic politics since her surprise victory. She has emerged as the face of a growing democratic socialist movement that emphasizes government-paid health care for all, a $15 minimum wage, free college tuition and the abolition of the federal department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE. Ocasio-Cortez campaigned last week in Kansas, headlining a rally with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders that drew a crowd of more than 3,000 in a suburb of Kansas City. (© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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Democrats’ Rising Star Meets With Lawmakers On Capitol Hill

July 24, 2018 0 comment

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Sen. Schumer Sounds Alarm On Assault Rifle Blueprints Online

written by SuePlantyha

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is sounding an alarm about blueprints that will allow people to build their own guns. Come August, plans for a homemade assault rifle will be posted online, meaning people with a 3-D printer could then potentially use the plans to make their own weapon. A gun rights activist won the right to post the information as part of a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department. Schumer says the agreement will put the entire public at risk. “They don’t have serial numbers so we don’t know if they’ve killed anybody, but we do know they’re easy to make, they’ve been tested, and unfortunately they work,” the New York Democrat said on Sunday. The blueprints were originally posted in 2013, but the government originally ordered them taken down.

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Sen. Schumer Sounds Alarm On Assault Rifle Blueprints Online

July 22, 2018 0 comment

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EPA Shuffle: Scott Pruitt Out; Former Coal Lobbyist In

written by HeikeEichel

WASHINGTON (CNN) — A former coal lobbyist will be the new acting head of the Environmental Protection Agency after former agency Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned on Thursday. Andrew Wheeler was confirmed by the Senate in April to be the EPA’s deputy administrator, but he was criticized by Democrats for his past ties to energy lobbyists. Wheeler worked at FaegreBD Consulting and Faegre Baker Daniels law firm before going to the EPA. His firm’s clients included Murray Energy, which calls itself “the largest coal mining company in America.” Prior to his time lobbying, Wheeler served on Capitol Hill as a Republican staff member for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and as a top aide to Sen. Jim Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican who’s an outspoken climate change skeptic. Wheeler is originally from Hamilton, Ohio, his biography on the EPA website said. He has a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA from George Mason University. His appointment to a government position has come with lots of criticism from Democrats. CNN previously reported that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer dubbed Wheeler “a former industry lobbyist who has worked on behalf of big polluters and climate change deniers.” “He has spent years working to undermine or lobby against the environmental protections he may soon oversee,” the New York Democrat said at the time of Wheeler’s confirmation hearing. Pruitt, whose tenure as head of the organization was plagued by numerous scandals, officially stepped down from his role Thursday, according to a tweet from President Donald Trump. The move left Wheeler to assume his duties. “Now we have his deputy administrator coming in, and it’s not clear whether this person is committed to protecting the environment. That’s the real problem,” Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, said Thursday. The-CNN-Wire & © 2018 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

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EPA Shuffle: Scott Pruitt Out; Former Coal Lobbyist In

July 6, 2018 0 comment