All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

While the Republican party will not uniformly block Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation as a Supreme Court Justice, a few GOP Senators will vote against her, most notably the party leader.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will announce on Monday that he will vote against her confirmation, the Associated Press reports. A senior aide to McConnell told the AP that the senator is worried Sotomayor would let her sympathies and prejudices interfere with her decisions as a justice.

McConnell would join three other Republicans who have already said they will vote against her: Senators James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Jim Bunning of Kentucky, and Pat Roberts of Kansas.

Meanwhile, more Republicans today announced they will support Sotomayor. Senators Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) announced Friday they will vote for the nominee. Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) announced his support earlier in the day.

Democrats have scheduled a committee vote for Tuesday and are planing for a final confirmation vote before the Senate breaks for its August recess.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the Guantanamo Bay detainment facility a "perfect place" for keeping terrorists, crediting the military prison with having protected America from another attack following 9/11.

He characterized President Obama's efforts to close the facility as a bid to make the United States "more popular" in Europe, and criticized the president's "arbitrary deadline" for shutting it down.

"I don't think this is a problem that needs fixing," McConnell said on Face The Nation, arguing that other countries seem hesitant to house detainees, and bringing them onto American soil would open a whole other can of worms.

"If you bring them into this country and try them, then presumably they are going to be given the protections of the Bill of Rights," McConnell said.

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said President Barack Obama's plan to include government-backed health insurance for the public is a "non-starter" for most Republicans considering health care reform.

Appearing on CBS' Face The Nation Sunday, McConnell told host Bob Schieffer that Mr. Obama's plan for a government health insurance plan would essentially crowd out other insurers from the private market, eliminating competition.

"We can make incredible improvements in American health care, but I don't think having more government — in effect putting Washington between you and your doctor — is the way to go."

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With the first Guantanamo detainee being relocated to New York today to face trial, Republican members of Congress are expressing strong opinions against bringing the prisoners to American soil.

House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) issued a statement today condemning the transfer of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a suspect in the 1998 bombings of United States embassies in Africa, to the United States.

"This is the first step in the Democrats' plan to import terrorists into America. Without a plan to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, the Administration has made the decision to begin transferring these terrorists into the United States, in spite of the overwhelming opposition of the American people and serious questions from Members of Congress of both parties," he stated.

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Republicans in the Senate have temporarily blocked Governor Kathleen Sebelius' nomination as Health and Human Services secretary from moving forward.

The Kansas governor had been approved by the Senate Finance Committee last Tuesday, and some expected her to be confirmed this week. But when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called for a full Senate vote, his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell, objected. McConnell cited the reservations of members of the Senate Finance Committee as his motivation for halting Sebelius' nomination, according to the Associated Press.

Some Republicans have previously objected to Sebelius' support for abortion rights and for her alleged failure to properly report campaign contributions that she received from a doctor who performs abortions, The Washington Post reports.

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Before signing an Executive Order this morning that lifted the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, President Obama said that a majority of Americans “have come to a consensus that we should pursue this research; that the potential it offers is great, and with proper guidelines and strict oversight the perils can be avoided.”

However, not included in that “consensus,” are conservatives and Republican lawmakers and organizations that have started an opposition rally cry.

Critics of the research argue embryonic cells are destroyed while scientists search for cures for Parkinson’s disease, spinal injuries and other afflictions.

House Republican Leader John Boehner said the president’s repeal of the ban, “runs counter to President Obama’s promise to be a president for all Americans. For a third time in his young presidency, the president has rolled back important protections for innocent life, further dividing our nation at a time when we need greater unity to tackle the challenges before us.”

Boehner said he fully supports stem cell research, yet he feels research funding should not come tax payers pockets.

New Hamshire's Democratic governor, John Lynch, is vowing to appoint a Republican to replace GOP Sen. Judd Gregg should President Obama tap Gregg to become Commerce secretary.

Were Greg to step down and Lynch appoint a Democrat to his seat, it could mean a filibuster-proof Senate majority for the Democrats. (Minnesota Democrat Al Franken leads in his Senate race following a statewide recount, but he has not been seated due to court challenges. If and when he is seated, Democrats will have 59 seats, one short of the necessary 60.)

Lynch, however, is vowing to keep the balance of power intact, citing Gregg's position on the matter.

"I have had conversations with Senator Gregg, the White House and U.S. Senate leadership," Lynch noted in a written statement. "Senator Gregg has said he would not resign his seat in the U.S. Senate if it changed the balance in the Senate."

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The Senate will start deliberations on the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Plan at 2pm ET this afternoon, but do not expect a vote anytime soon. All weekend, senators and administration officials had plenty to say about the bill’s future, but no one seemed to agree on their predictions.

Which raises the question: Is this weekend’s war of words a harbinger for a long, partisan Senate debate?

In an interview Sunday, President Obama said, "I am confident that by the time we have the final package on the floor that we are going to see substantial support, and people are going to see this is a serious effort. It has no earmarks. We are going to be trimming out things that are not relevant to putting people back to work right now.”

Of note is the fact that the administration has almost completely stopped offering number estimates on what Republican support they can count on. Gone from their nomenclature is the confident estimation that the bill will pass with the support of eighty senators.

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“Republicans won’t have the luxury they did in the House of voting no and still letting it pass,” Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) said about the economic stimulus package set to hit the Senate floor this week on “Face the Nation.”

“This will pass with Republican votes because it is a good package and we will make some changes around the edges,” Schumer said.

On those “changes,” Schumer said there are “little things” that will come out of the final package because Republicans can make amendments on the floor.

“This is serious, serious stuff,” he asserted and said he hopes Senate Minority Leader does not do what House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) did in the House and just “say no.”

“President Obama has been involved in this in a very forceful way,” Senator Schumer said. “It is a smoke screen “ to say that the president’s bill is different than the House of Representatives’ bill.

Bob Schieffer asked how many Republicans he can count on to vote for the bill to which Mr. Schumer said, “I think we will get enough Republicans to pass this, the more the better.”

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Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) said he is assured former Senator Tom Daschle will be confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services despite his failure to pay income taxes.

“Daschle is one of the most respected people,” Schumer said, “at a time when we have to dramatically overhaul healthcare because people are hurting, I think we need Daschle as secretary of HHS.”

On Daschle’s tax problem, Schumer said “this was clearly an oversight, he has made recompense and he has admitted it.”

“I think he will be approved by both the finance committee and the whole senate,” he told Bob Schieffer.

Earlier on “Face the Nation” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said news of Daschle’s taxes was “quite a surprise” and said “the administration ought to take a look at its vetting process.”

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