MB Civic

Key Procedural Healthcare Vote Passes in Senate – Senate Democrats have moved a step closer to passing a major healthcare bill. Early this morning the Senate voted 60 to 40 to cut off a Republican filibuster. Unlike the House healthcare bill, the Senate legislation does not call for the creation of a government-run public insurance option

Feingold Blasts White House for Not Supporting Public Option – Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin blasted the Obama White House for showing a lack of support for the public option. Feingold said, “I’ve been fighting all year for a strong public option to compete with the insurance industry and bring healthcare spending down. Unfortunately, the lack of support from the administration made keeping the public option in the bill an uphill struggle.”

Study: $635 Million Spent on Healthcare Lobbying – A new study on healthcare lobbying found that healthcare companies have spent $635 million on lobbying over the past two years. At least 166 former congressional aides involved in shaping healthcare legislation have registered to lobby for healthcare companies. This includes at least fourteen former aides to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and at least thirteen former aides to Montana Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, the chair of the Finance Committee

Rights Group Urges US to Ratify UN Women’s Rights Treaty – Human Rights Watch is calling on the Obama administration and the Senate to step up efforts to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. One hundred eighty-six nations have ratified the global women’s rights treaty since it was signed thirty years ago this week, on December 18, 1979. Only the United States, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Palau, Nauru and Tonga have not ratified it

Report: White Businesses Received Vast Majority of Stimulus Loans – An investigation by New American Media has found that loans handed out to struggling small businesses as part of President Obama’s stimulus package have largely shut out minority businesses—especially those owned by African Americans and Latinos

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