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.

Immigration Bill Remains Largely Intact After 1st Hearing

David Welna — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:10:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene. Let's get an update now on one of this year's major policy debates. There is an immigration bill under consideration. The law, if passed, has the potential to be a major success story for President Obama and for the bipartisan group of lawmakers who drafted it. Opponents of the bill have major concerns about how it treats people who came to the U.S.

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.

Gun Background Check Vote Causes Heat At Home For N.H. Rep. Ayotte

David Welna — Fri, 03 May 2013 08:29:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

After any contentious debate in Washington, it's often interesting to see how a lawmaker is welcomed home, depending on how he or she voted. Some of the senators who voted down bipartisan gun control legislation last month are taking heat in the aftermath of December's mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the state of Connecticut. The bill would have expanded background checks, and the only New England senator who opposed it was New Hampshire Republican Kelly Ayotte.

Obama Answers Questions On Syria, Guantanamo, More

David Welna — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:19:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep. Let's talk about President Obama's news conference this morning on the 100th day of his second term. NPR's David Welna has been listening in this morning. Hi, David.

DAVID WELNA, BYLINE: Hi, Steve.

INSKEEP: The president was immediately asked about the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

WELNA: Yes, he was. And he said that if chemicals weapons were used in Syria, it would be a game-changer.

Immigration Protesters Aim For Rally To Motiviate Lawmakers

David Welna — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 08:35:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Now, here in Washington they are calling it the All-In for Citizenship rally. Tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected today on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. It's to be the biggest event yet in the push to revamp the nation's immigration laws. And congressional negotiators say they are close to unveiling a comprehensive immigration bill.

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 18:36:00 +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

Democrats Move To Reinstate Assault Weapons Ban

David Welna — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 11:31:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning, I'm Renee Montagne.

A hearing on Capitol Hill yesterday included tears, cheers and a recording of bursts of gunfire. It was all part of a new push by Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee to reinstate a ban on assault weapons, a ban that expired nearly a decade ago.

NPR's David Welna was there.

DAVID WELNA, BYLINE: It was California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein who 20 years ago fought for and won a decade-long ban on assault-style rifles and high capacity ammunition magazines.

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

For Some In Minneapolis, National Gun Debate Hits Close To Home

David Welna — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 10:08:00 +0000

The shooting massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., in December revived a national debate about gun violence. It's one that is emotional and often highly personal, and it's happening in places far from the halls of Congress. Earlier this week, President Obama was in Minneapolis advocating new limits on guns; no law or set of laws, he said, can keep children completely safe. NPR's David Welna was there for the visit and sent this reporter's notebook about the voices he encountered.

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

Senate Changes Filibuster Rules

David Welna — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 09:50:00 +0000
Transcript
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
When and if the U.S. Senate is ready to confirm Mary Jo White to head the SEC, she may find her path somewhat smoother - thanks to a rule change the Senate agreed to last night. The new Senate rule makes it just a little bit harder to block nominations, and a little easier to reach resolution than it was for President Obama's nominees in his first term. It's part of a subtle revision of the most potent weapon of the minority party: the filibuster.

President's New Term Doesn't Mean New Day In Congress

David Welna — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:33:00 +0000
The Senate picked up Tuesday exactly where it left off nearly three weeks ago. By a twist of the rules, the Senate chamber remains in its first legislative day of the 113th Congress.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he's kept things at the starting point so that he and his fellow Democrats have the option of changing the rules on the filibuster by a simple majority vote.
"The Senate will take action to make this institution that we all love, the United States Senate, work more effectively," Reid said Tuesday.

The Decades-Old Gun Ban That's Still On The Books

David Welna — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 23:09:00 +0000
When President Obama laid out his proposals Wednesday to reduce gun violence, he included a call for Congress to ban "military-style assault weapons."
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have tried banning certain guns before. Nearly two decades ago, they barred the sale of semiautomatic assault weapons, only to let that law lapse 10 years later.

Cabinet Picks Come As Democrats Push To Change Filibuster

David Welna — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 11:09:00 +0000
In recent weeks, President Obama has chosen Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as his next secretary of state; former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., to head the Pentagon; counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to be CIA director; and his chief of staff, Jack Lew, to be the next Treasury secretary.
Each nomination will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and they all could be stopped by a Senate filibuster — that is, the refusal by any one of 100 senators to let a matter come to a final vote.
The nominations come just as Senate Democrats are pushing to make filibusters harder to pull off.

As The Capitol Turns: Little Has Changed In Congress' New Season

David Welna — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 10:28:00 +0000
This week saw both a frantic finale to the much-unloved 112th Congress and, hours later, the swearing in of the new 113th. The cast of lawmakers and their leaders is mostly unchanged. The same can be said for Capitol Hill's never-ending drama over taxes, deficits and spending.
What was arguably this week's most sensational congressional moment did not even take place in Washington. On Wednesday in Trenton, N.J., Republican Gov.

After Fruitless Weekend, Congress Still Seeks Fiscal Deal

David Welna — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 08:33:00 +0000
It is almost unimaginable that both the House and Senate would be in session on a Sunday evening on the penultimate day of the year.

Congressional Leaders 'Hopeful' Of Deal On Fiscal Cliff As Deadline Nears

David Welna — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 10:22:00 +0000
Even though the top four congressional leaders left their White House meeting with the president separately and silently on Friday, they cast the hourlong encounter in a positive light back at the Capitol.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi described the tone of the discussion to head off across-the-board tax hikes and spending cuts as "candid." An aide to House Speaker John Boehner put out a statement that noted that the group agreed the next step should be the Senate's — a tacit acknowledgement that Boehner is no longer the lead negotiator with President Obama.
"It was very constructive,

Capitol Hill Reaction Varies To Gun Mayhem Varies

David Welna — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 10:08:00 +0000
Transcript
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
And I'm Steve Inskeep.
Even before the events of the last few days, Congress had a busy agenda. Lawmakers are negotiating over taxes and spending that could affect the economy in the year ahead, not to mention almost every part of the federal government and the take-home pay for millions of Americans.
GREENE: But last week's shootings in Newtown, Connecticut restarted the debate over gun control.

Some Senators Show Willingness To Take On Gun Laws

David Welna — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 22:21:00 +0000
As President Obama spoke to mourning families in Newtown, Conn., on Sunday night, he clearly seemed to suggest a need for tougher gun laws.
"Are we really prepared to say that we're powerless in the face of such carnage?

Parting Advice From The Senators Leaving Congress

David Welna — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 11:49:00 +0000
The United States is now just over two weeks away from a plunge over the "fiscal cliff" — that is, unless Congress can agree on a deal to prevent automatic tax hikes and spending cuts in the new year. But once again, Congress seems headed for the brink.
That's been happening more and more in recent years. And it was noted sadly by a string of retiring senators as they were bidding their colleagues farewell this past week.
Daniel Akaka
At 88, Hawaii Democrat Daniel Akaka is the eldest of the six Democrats and seven Republicans who won't return to the Senate next year.

Democrats Dig In Their Heels On Entitlement Cuts

David Welna — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 10:19:00 +0000
Congress has barely two weeks to agree on a deficit-cutting deal to keep the nation from going over the "fiscal cliff" in the new year. The problem is that right now there is no such deal to agree on.
Republicans reject the higher tax rates for top incomes that President Obama demands.

Senate Fails To Ratify U.N. Treaty On Disabilities

David Welna — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 09:48:00 +0000
Transcript
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
And amid that budget debate, a wall of Republican opposition to a new United Nations treaty kept it from being ratified in the Senate. The treaty is aimed at promoting and protecting the rights of disabled people. And even though it was inspired by the Americans with Disabilities Act, Republicans argue that it would harm U.S. sovereignty and even interfere with home schooling.

The 3 Unofficial GOP Rules That Are Making A Deficit Deal Even Harder

David Welna — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 08:20:00 +0000
Making an already head-splittingly difficult deal on the fiscal cliff even harder to resolve is a set of three rules by which the Republicans who run the House play.
These are not official regulations; they're more shibboleths that House GOP leaders have adopted in recent years. And those rules are leaving House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, little room to maneuver as lawmakers try to avoid a set of tax increases and spending cuts set to take effect at the end of the year.
1.

Republican Cole Breaks Party Ranks On Fiscal Cliff

David Welna — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 21:33:00 +0000
President Obama wants House Republicans to simply pass tax-cut extensions for most Americans and argue about the rich later. It looks like he's found at least one ally — Oklahoma congressman Tom Cole.