Stories

Although some members of the U.S. House have voiced firm opposition to the long-awaited initial health care reform bill presented this week by U.S. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) isn’t necessarily among them. The process is not a sprint, he reminded reporters on his Thursday [...]

INDIANOLA — At his 32nd annual Steak Fry fundraiser, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) was cheered by an enthusiastic crowd of supporters when he declared that a health care reform bill would pass both houses of Congress “by Christmas,” and that it would include a government-run, not-for-profit health insurance plan.

A federal program that provides financial assistance to more than half a million Americans who have contracted HIV or have AIDS will sunset on Sept. 30 unless Congress reauthorizes it, and its prospects seem uncertain.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, Iowa’s second-term Democrat who represents the 1st District, mourned the loss of a great U.S. leader today in an official statement regarding the death of U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy:

Three Democrats are already in the race to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in 2010, but rumors of a fourth, with deep pockets and high name recognition, are beginning to bubble to the surface.

INDEPENDENCE — Amid news reports of emotional outbursts and violence at Congressional health care forums across the nation, one hosted by U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley Wednesday afternoon stood out not for its content, but for its context.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley has been taking a lot of heat for continuing to spread the debunked rumor that end-of-life planning provisions included in proposed health care legislation could lead to government-mandated euthanasia of the elderly, going as far as to strip them from a version of the bill currently before his committee.
But Amy Sullivan [...]

The health-care reform debate currently raging in the nation’s capitol is about to shift to city halls, community centers and town squares across the country, as federal lawmakers recess and head home for a month.
And thanks to promises from conservative groups to stack meetings with activists in order to disrupt health-care town halls and other [...]

Republican U.S. Rep. Steve King of Kiron was the only member of Iowa’s congressional delegation to vote against a $2 billion spending bill Friday afternoon to extend the “cash for clunkers” program.
The bill, of which Democratic U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley was a co-sponsor, aims to encourage American car owners to trade in older, less fuel [...]

While much of Iowa slept, members of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce continued to debate possible amendments to health care reform. At least two of the amendments passed late Thursday provide a clearer picture of how wedge-issue abortion services will be handled.