White House officials and Senate Democrats today were fighting to keep alive former Senator Tom Daschle’s cabinet nomination, the morning after
’s nominee for health and human services secretary faced a tough grilling from his former Senate colleagues over revelations he had initially failed to pay more than $140,000 (£97,700) in taxes and interest.
President Barack Obama yesterday said that he was “absolutely” behind Daschle, former Senate Democratic Read the rest of this entry »

Nov. 17, 2008 – 1:02 p.m.
to take office next year or for the 111th Congress to convene, Senate Democratic leaders this week are escalating discussions about an ambitious overhaul of the health care system.
, D-Mont., chairman of the Finance Committee, and
, D-Mass., who chairs the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, plan to meet Tuesday to discuss how to craft an overhaul that would fall under the jurisdiction of both committees. Read the rest of this entry »

Monday, January 12, 2009
Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill, eager to score an early session victory and to give President-elect Barack Obama a high-profile bill to sign by Inauguration Day, are set to vote this week on legislation that would give medical coverage to millions of uninsured children.
Democrats had wanted to pass an almost $800 billion economic-stimulus intended to prime the slumping economy, a move that would have boosted their Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Senate Democrats rallied behind Tom Daschle, President Barack Obama’s choice to lead reforms of the costly U.S. health-care system, on Monday after he apologized for tax issues that raised questions about his nomination.
Democratic members of the Senate Finance Committee, whose approval Daschle needs to become as health and human services secretary, voiced strong support for the former Senate Democratic leader after he met Read the rest of this entry »

, people who have spoken with him say, but he is running into opposition from his party’s left and from Democratic Congressional leaders who contend that his political capital would be better spent on health care and other priorities.
Mr. Obama considered announcing the formation of a Social Security task force at a White House “fiscal responsibility summit” that he will convene on Monday. But several Democrats said that idea had Read the rest of this entry »

Published: Sunday, October 5, 2008
By JOSEPH G. COTE Staff Writer
Democratic candidates at the local and national level were getting a boost in Nashua on Saturday thanks to a team of pink-clad volunteers committed to women’s health. Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, visited the city Saturday morning and led a walk through a south Nashua neighborhood to support Nashua Democrat Peggy Gilmore and to highlight presidential Read the rest of this entry »

When the House version of the $819-billion economic stimulus plan passed on
Jan. 28, one important section was missing. It pertained to expansion of health
care services for low-income women.
The original bill contained the Medicaid Family Planning State Option. States
have been required to obtain a Department of Health and Human Services waiver
to use Medicaid funds for family planning services, even cancer screenings; 27
states have done this. Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)–House Democrats unveiled the details of a $20 billion health information technology plan as part of their larger stimulus package on Friday, an approach that could allow them to avoid the objections that have stalled similar legislation in recent years.
The draft legislation, released by the House Ways and Means Committee Friday, will create incentives for doctors who adopt electronic health record technology. There is broad Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats rushed on Saturday to save the nomination of their former leader,
, as
’s health and human services secretary, while the White House sought to explain how Mr. Daschle survived its vaunted vetting process despite his failure to pay $128,000 in taxes.
Senior administration officials said that although Mr. Daschle was aware as early as June 2008 that he might have to pay back taxes for the use of a car and Read the rest of this entry »

As they say, that didn’t take long. Five days to be exact.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee this morning says it’s going to run radio ads and a grassroots campaign in 28 House districts against Republicans who opposed the stimulus package passed Wednesday.
The ads start tomorrow and will be up for a week.
The DCCC says its “Putting Families First” campaign focuses on the Republicans’ “out of step priorities by putting bank bail Read the rest of this entry »