Senate

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said Tuesday that his decision to step down as Senate Republican Conference chairman after this year was motivated in part by a desire to spend more time tackling policy issues, including what he sees as a new trend in which healthcare issues receive more funding than others.

“Stepping down from the Republican leadership will liberate me to spend more time trying to work for results on issues that I care the most about,” he said on the Senate floor.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday accused President Obama of “dragging his feet” on critical job-creating free-trade agreements (FTA) and said he intends to offer an amendment that would grant the White House broad authority to enter agreements around the world.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday morning praised Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) as a quiet, thoughtful senator who accomplishes much, just minutes after Alexander said he would step down from his leadership position in January.

"I don't know all the reasons for his doing this, but I want the record to be spread with the fact that I have found Lamar Alexander to be one of the most thoughtful people I've ever served with in the Senate," Reid said.

Freshman Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) will break his silence on the Senate floor on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. when he delivers his maiden speech to his colleagues. 

The Senate voted 84 to 8 on Monday to move forward with a bill to renew an expired program that provides for cheaper American manufacturing by establishing tariff-free exports on some manufacturing inputs to the United States from over 120 developing countries.

Ambassadors from 10 members of the Coalition of Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Countries wrote to the Senate Monday to urge passage of a renewal of the GSP program, which the Senate will consider this week.

The program provides tariff-free exports to the United States from more than 120 developing countries, but it expired Jan. 1 after Congress failed to renew it in December 2010.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) paid tribute on Monday afternoon to the victims of the horrific crash that took place at the Reno Air Show over the weekend.

"My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives, including the pilot of the World War II-era plane that crashed into spectators,” said Reid from the Senate floor.

The deadly crash, which took the lives of nine spectators and the pilot, apparently occurred after a piece of the tail broke of the vintage aircraft during a sharp ascent. 

Sen. Harry Reid said $3 trillion of the U.S. budget deficit was caused by the Bush-era tax cuts to the rich.

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) on Monday presented his own jobs bill, which he said would put 40,000 construction workers to work while increasing the energy efficiency of commercial roofs.

“This bill is what I call ‘a win-win’ — it will create new jobs and improve the energy efficiency of commercial properties,” said Cardin, as reported by the Bay Net.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) called on the Food and Drug Administration to more carefully regulate the production of American apple juice, WHAM Channel 13, an ABC affiliate reported on Monday.