#Senator Lisa Murkowski

[burnouts3s3]

Matt Gaetz reportedly didn’t have the support from these four Republican Senators

1) John Curtis (Utah)

2) Susan Collins (Maine)

3) Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)

4) Mitch McConnell (Kentucky)

[filosofablogger]

A Bit Of This And A Dab Of That

Just a few observations I have from yesterday’s news stories … no rants today, just thoughts and maybe a wee bit of mild snark. Senator Lisa Murkowski says she will NOT vote for Trump and is considering leaving the Republican Party.  Asked directly about the possibility of a party switch, Murkowski, who lost the GOP primary in 2010 and was reelected as a write-in candidate in the general…

[minnesotafollower]

Introduction of New Proposed Afghan Adjustment Act 

On July 13, 2023, U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (Dem, MN) with five co-sponsoring Democrat Senators and six co-sponsoring Republican Senators introduced a new proposed Afghan Adjustment Act (S.2327). The Democrat co-sponsors are Senators Coon (DE), Blumenthal (CT), Shaheen (NH), Durban (IL) and Menendez (NJ), and the Republican co-sponsors are Senators Graham  (SC), Moran (KS), Mullin (OK),…

[originalleftist]

Republican House impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas dismissed by the Senate as Unconstitutional in a party-line vote.

Given that the impeachment was predicated on white supremacist "replacement theory"-type bullshit about the border, this is entirely proper, and that it was a party-line vote is to the shame of every Senate Republican (including Lisa Murkowski, who reportedly voted "present" (coward)).

[simply-ivanka]

It is strange that "Republican" Senators like Lisa Murkowski, Joni Ernst, and Susan Collins only behave like members of the opposition party when Trump is in the White House. I wonder why that is?

[teenageexpertslimedream]

KOSA IS BACK, CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES

12-10-24

Those fuckers are making another big push for Kosa again and its just as bad as ever. This bill would give the government complete control of ehat people get to post on the internet with absolutely no oversight or anykind of democratic process. Its entire goal is to stomp out LGBTQ+ spaces, control what everyone in america gets to see and monitor your every move online. And if it passes now its garunteed to be used by the Trump administration.

They are pushing hard, push back harder

Call your congressmen and senators. Even if theyre republican and tell them your worried about democrats having this in the future or vice versa. Lie if you have to just appeal to whatever side they're on.

Congressmen

https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

Senators

[wilwheaton]

Romney, who didn’t have many real friends in Washington, ate dinner alone there most nights, watching Ted Lasso or Better Call Saul as he leafed through briefing materials. On the day of my first visit, he showed me his freezer, which was full of salmon fillets that had been given to him by Lisa Murkowski, the senator from Alaska. He didn’t especially like salmon but found that if he put it on a hamburger bun and smothered it in ketchup, it made for a serviceable meal.

What Mitt Romney Saw in the Senate

He didn’t especially like salmon but found that if he put it on a hamburger bun and smothered it in ketchup, it made for a serviceable meal.

He didn’t especially like salmon but found that if he put it on a hamburger bun and smothered it in ketchup, it made for a serviceable meal.

What. The. Actual.

[1americanconservative]

It's being reported that Matt Gaetz had the support of every Republican Senator except four

Senator Mitch McConnell (Kentucky)

Senator Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)

Senator John Curtis (Utah)

Senator Susan Collins (Maine)

I AM SO PISSED RIGHT NOW!

Why did Utah vote for a Mitt Romney clone? Why do people in Kentucky keep voting for McConnell? Why do Alaskans keep voting for Lisa Murkowski? It's shameful.

[darkmaga-returns]

Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general on Thursday. It was an early setback for President-elect Donald Trump that confirms the greatest threat to his agenda isn’t Democrats, but establishment Republicans.

Apparently there were at least four GOP senators staunchly opposed to confirming Gaetz as attorney general: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and John Curtis of Utah. Assuming all Democrat senators voted against him, that would have put Gaetz one vote shy of confirmation.

The corporate media, along with a cadre of Never Trump commentators on the right, boasted about the defeat of Gaetz’s nomination, citing widely discredited sexual allegations against him as evidence that he was unfit to lead the Justice Department. Never mind that those allegations have always been comically thin. 

Indeed, as my colleague Mollie Hemingway laid out in these pages recently, the entire campaign to smear Gaetz as a “child sex trafficker” was from the outset a giant psy-op and fraud. After an 18-month investigation by the Biden Justice Department, no charges were filed against Gaetz because the two central witnesses in the probe had serious credibility problems.

[jackmedwn]

Laura Loomer on X: "Did you know that Lisa Murkowski @lisamurkowski was the only GOP Senator who voted “Yeah” on advancing Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, and Chuck Schumer’s mass amnesty bill disguised as a “border security bill” in May of 2024? Senate Democrats @SenateDems and RINO Senators seem to https://t.co/UcyQZb4hec" / X

Mitch McConnell LOVES Lisa Murkowski. He diverted GOP funds from close races in swing districts, arguably sacrificing GOP senate victories to ensure a win for his old pal, Lisa.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

THIS IS HOW FASCISM HAPPENS

TCinLA

Dec 10, 2024

After an intense pressure campaign by Fox News and Trump, Senate Republicans look like they will approve credibly accused rapist and problem drinker Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense. Holdout Sen. Joni Ernst, who was sexually assaulted while serving in the military, has decided she’s just fine with Hegseth after MAGA people repeatedly threatened her.

The New York Times reported, “Ms. Ernst stopped short of promising to support Mr. Hegseth, but in sending a strong signal that she was favorably inclined, she appeared to clear away a major potential hurdle to his confirmation. At the same time, her shift suggested that Mr. Trump’s MAGA base was ready, willing and able to bully Republicans into submitting to his desires.”

“Trump’s MAGA base was ready, willing and able to bully Republicans into submitting to his desires.” This is how fascism happens.

Most Republicans in Washington likely that Hegseth would just throw in the towel. He faces damning allegations of public drunkeness, financial mismanagement and sexual predation that wou;ld have sunk any previous nominee. For whatever reason, he remains in the running, and now Trump is spending political capital to back him.

There are now armies of MAGA trolls behind Hegseth, egged on by Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk, which has obviously put immense pressure on holdouts like Sentor Ernst who was initially cool to Hegseth’s nomination since he opposes women serving in combat - Ernst is the first female combat veteran to serve in the Senate. The police report from Monterey, California contains a credible rape allegation against him and Ernst is a sexual assault survivor whose opposition to sexual assault is part of her political identity. Together with fellow female GOP holdouts “maybe no” Susan Collins and “definite no” Lisa Murkowski, an Ernst “no” would imperil Hegseth.

Collins is set to meet Hegseth on Wednesday and said she would carefully review the FBI background report, as well as his response to the questionnaire from the Senate Armed Services Committee. Murkowski has a Tuesday sitdown with Hegseth, about which she said nothing definitive. Hegseth will also meet with GOP Senators John Cornyn, Cindy Hyde-Smith, and Steve Daines today; all three are “yes” votes.

Hegseth’s backers - Bannon, Kirk and Don Jr. Have run targeted ads in Iowa in favor of Hegseth urging supporters to call Ernst and demand his confirmation. The pressure campaign included threats to raise a primary challenge to Ernst. Taking their cues from these bullies, the far-right has inundated Ernst with threats and name-calling. In an ominous move, Kash Patel visited Ernst; the new FBI Director’s mere presence is an implicit threat.

As of Monday, the pressure appears to be working.Ernst said she’s open to voting yes if the alleged rape victim does not come forward publicly to testify. She sounds on board now, with her talk of their “encouraging conversations,” which included Hegseth pledging to support women in the military and to support her legislation on military assault.

Ernst said, “Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women - based on quality and standards, not quotas - and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.”

Hegseth went on Hannity and said he wanted to “clarify” his earlier statements that “suggested” he did not support women even serving in the military, saying, “Some of our greatest warriors, our best warriors out there, are women who serve, raise the right hand and defend this country, and love our nation.”

According to Sen. Eric Schmitt, Hegseth has claimed he has stopped drinking alcohol and will not drink alcohol if confirmed. This sounds to me exactly like every bullshit promise my alcoholic drug addict younger brother told me over the 15 years I was around him after he migrated to Southern California, before he met the 18-wheeler head-on when he drove onto the offramp with a blood alcohol of 0.23, 25 years ago.

If Ernst is backing down, Hegseth may now have enough support from the GOP Senate to be confirmed

For those of us who oppose him for the many bad policy ideas he supports, if he is confirmed this doesnt mean Trump has a maximum victory; doing so is a form of psychological surrender. There will be stumbles, lots of them. Hegseth is a professional fuckup, and his promises only last till his next fuckup. We should exploit every stumble, failure, and misstep. Yes, the Trumpscum are evil, but they’re also incompetent bunglers with high Dunning-Kruger scores, who are blinded by their belief in their genius - a status that is imaginary in the case of each of these stumblebums.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Steven Beschloss at America, America:

This is a strange, in-between moment, rippling with uncertainty stirred by a deeply vengeful man bent on destruction who will soon retake the ultimate levers of power. His hasty dumping of unqualified nominees—each one providing a different version of reckless endangerment to our nation’s safety and security—underscores the serious questions about how bad the coming months and years will be.

Will they mete out punishments to serve their boss’ whims, ending justice as we know it? Will we be able to rely on the safety of our food and water and drugs? Will diseases long abated by vaccines re-emerge as new and unnecessary dangers to our children and ourselves? Can we trust that our military will serve the American people rather than be transformed into a weapon against us? Will we face new attacks by foreign adversaries because our allies can no longer safely share intelligence with us? Will we suffer serious economic decline fueled by billionaires and reckless ideologues focused on expanding their own fortunes while demanding sacrifices from everyone else? Can we be sure that in 2026 there will be another election?

In turn, who will be the heroes of this time? Who will stand up and speak out, refusing to be cowed or ruled by fear? Who will take action to stop the demolition of our democracy? Who with power will demand that the practices and principles that have successfully driven the American system of government be recognized and followed? There are some early signs: Matt Gaetz was a road too far for Attorney General. The Senate chose South Dakota’s John Thune as its new majority leader, not Trump-backed lickspittle Rick Scott from Florida. Jerome Powell, chairman of the Federal Reserve, said categorically that he would not leave his post if Trump asked or tried to fire him. Alaska’s Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced she would oppose Trump’s nominees if they are not properly vetted by the FBI. “This isn’t about partisanship," she reportedly told close allies, "it’s about ensuring we don’t compromise the standards of public office." South Dakota’s other GOP senator, Mike Rounds, said this when asked about anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: “Look, I believe in vaccines. I think they’ve saved millions of lives.”

Will there be other GOP senators who find their spine in the coming months to confront Trump’s reckless decisions? Will we see Democrats oppose the coming onslaught with all the vigor and virulence they can muster? These would be leaders to notice and encourage. Let’s also pay attention to the critical role of state and local officials to protect their citizens and push back against the Trump-inspired federal efforts to deport millions of undocumented migrants and pursue myriad other actions that will cause damage to real people. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker best summarized this commitment: “You come for my people, you come through me.”

In this period, we will need fearless truth-tellers to remind us of the differences between right and wrong, true and false. They will be critical in asserting factual reality as the anti-government propaganda intensifies to justify extreme attacks on the agencies, procedures and resources established to create safety and security, particularly for at-risk people. Trump lackey and election denier Pam Bondi, nominated for Attorney General, has already pledged to prosecute the prosecutors. Trump chose Russell Vought, a chief architect of Project 2025, to lead the Office of Management and Budget, even though Trump said he knew nothing about the project’s policy agenda. Vought has already pledged to help impound any funds approved by Congress if the next president disapproves of their intended purpose—demonstrating utter disregard for the legislative body’s power of the purse enshrined in the first article of the Constitution.

Steven Beschloss wrote in his America, America blog on who will be the heroes to save America.

[mariacallous]

Senate Republicans voted Thursday to block a bill put forward by Democrats that would guarantee access to in vitro fertilization nationwide.

The legislation failed to advance in a procedural vote by a tally of 48-47. It needed 60 votes to advance. Republicans criticized the Democrat-led legislation as unnecessary overreach and a political show vote.

“Why should we vote for a bill that fixes a non-existent problem? There’s not a problem. There’s no restrictions on IVF, nor should there be,” Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, told reporters.

The vote is part of a broader push by Senate Democrats to draw a contrast with Republicans over reproductive health care in the run up to the November elections. Democrats are highlighting the issue this month, which marks the two-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed Republicans who voted against the bill, saying that they are being “pushed by the MAGA hard right.”

“These are the very same people who pushed to get rid of Roe in the Dobbs decision,” Schumer told CNN’s Erin Burnett on “OutFront” Thursday evening, referring to the blockbuster 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned a constitutional right to abortion. “We know what they’re up to. They want to get rid of IVF, they’re afraid to say it.”

Biden attacked Senate Republicans after the vote.

“Once again, Senate Republicans refused to protect access to fertility treatments for women who are desperately trying to get pregnant,” Biden said in a written statement. “And just last week, Senate Republicans blocked nationwide protections for birth control. The disregard for a woman’s right to make these decisions for herself and her family is outrageous and unacceptable.”

Republicans have criticized the Democrat-led legislation as unnecessary overreach and a political show vote.

The legislation the Senate will take up – the Right to IVF Act – would enshrine into federal law a right for individuals to receive IVF treatment as well as for doctors to provide treatment, which would override any attempt at the state level to restrict access.

The bill seeks to make IVF treatment more affordable by mandating coverage for fertility treatments under employer-sponsored insurance and certain public insurance plans. It would also expand coverage of fertility treatments, including IVF, under US military service members and veterans’ health care.

The IVF legislative package was introduced by Democratic Sens. Patty Murray of Washington state, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Cory Booker of New Jersey.

The vote comes after Alabama’s Supreme Court said, in a first-of-its-kind ruling earlier this year, that frozen embryos are children and those who destroy them can be held liable for wrongful death – a decision that reproductive rights advocates warned could have a chilling effect on infertility treatments.

While the state’s legislature took action aimed at protecting IVF in the wake of the ruling, Democrats argue that this is only one example of how access to reproductive health care is under threat across the nation.

Southern Baptist delegates, for instance, expressed alarm Wednesday over the way in vitro fertilization is routinely being practiced, approving a resolution lamenting that the creation of surplus frozen embryos often results in “destruction of embryonic human life.”

The IVF vote is the latest move by Democrats to bring up a bill expected to be blocked by Republicans. Last week, Senate Republicans voted to block a Democrat-led bill that would guarantee access to contraception.

Most Republicans dismissed the effort as a political messaging vote that was unnecessary and overly broad, though GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine crossed over to vote with Democrats in favor of advancing the bill.

Republicans have introduced their own bills on IVF and contraception. GOP Sens. Katie Britt of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas have introduced a bill called the IVF Protection Act and Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa has put forward a separate bill to promote access to contraception.

Cruz and Britt attempted to pass their IVF legislation on the Senate floor Wednesday through a unanimous consent request, but Democrats blocked the effort.

Murray, who objected to the request, criticized the GOP bill, arguing that states could “enact burdensome and unnecessary requirements and create the kind of legal uncertainty and risk that would force clinics to once again close their doors.”

Under the IVF bill from Britt and Cruz, states would not be eligible for Medicaid funding if they prohibit access to IVF, but the legislation “permits states to implement health and safety standards regarding the practice of IVF,” according to a press release.

[rjzimmerman]

Senators introduce bipartisan bill for carbon removal tax credits. (Heatmap AM)

Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced a bipartisan bill yesterday that would establish tax credits for carbon removal projects. Under the Carbon Dioxide Removal Investment Act, direct air capture projects would get a $250 tax credit per metric ton of carbon removed, and indirect capture projects (through biomass, for example) would get $110. So the tax credit is technology-neutral, meaning both natural and engineered projects would be eligible. But to qualify, projects must store the carbon for 1,000 years or more. “Through technology-neutral support that doesn’t pick winners, this bill creates a level playing field that will advance innovations with the biggest climate impact while supporting new jobs and maintaining U.S. leadership in the carbon removal sector,” said Christina DeConcini, Director of Government Affairs at the World Resources Institute.

[simply-ivanka]

Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), John Cornyn (R-TX), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Kennedy (R-LA), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), John Thune (R-SD), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Todd Young (R-IN)

VOTE THESE PIECES OF SHIT OUT OF CONGRESS.