David Lightman

Recent stories written by David Lightman

Democrats consider new jobs bill (11/18/2009)

WASHINGTON – Stung by constituents' concerns about their vanishing or vulnerable jobs, congressional leaders launched a strong push Tuesday to pass a "jobs creation" package by the end of this year.

Dodd offers tough finance legislation (11/11/2009)

WASHINGTON – A key Senate committee chairman unveiled a sweeping 1,136-page bill Tuesday that, if enacted, would mandate the most comprehensive overhaul of financial regulation since the Great Depression.

House OKs health bill (11/8/2009)

WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives on Saturday passed, by a 220-215 vote, historic health care overhaul legislation that would require nearly all Americans to obtain health insurance and create a government-run health insurance plan to help them do so.

Republicans to offer health plan (11/3/2009)

WASHINGTON – Small businesses would have an easier time banding together to offer insurance to employees. Consumers could cross state lines to buy coverage. There'd be no big government expansion.

Pelosi unveils House's health reform proposal (10/30/2009)

WASHINGTON – Democratic leaders Thursday invoked the spirit of generations of party heroes to rally their members of the House of Representatives behind a new health care plan – but it's clear that winning a majority will be a tough fight.

Moderate Democrats chilly to public option (10/28/2009)

WASHINGTON – Moderate Democratic senators remained reluctant Tuesday – and in one case, defiant – about backing the government-run "public option" health care plan that party leaders are offering as a compromise, making it highly uncertain whether the plan can become law.

Congress presses health insurers (10/22/2009)

WASHINGTON – Efforts to strip the health insurance industry of key antitrust protections got significant boosts Wednesday, when a House of Representatives committee voted to end the 64-year-old exemption and Senate Democratic leaders moved swiftly to act.

Senate panel OKs health care plan (10/14/2009)

WASHINGTON – The Senate Finance Committee voted 14-9 on Tuesday to back a sweeping overhaul of the nation's health care system, clearing the way for a historic congressional showdown this fall over how Americans receive and pay for their medical care.

Women shell out more for insurance (10/7/2009)

WASHINGTON – Women of child-bearing age routinely pay more for health care because they're women. If they're pregnant, they can be legally denied coverage.

Compromises on table in Obama health plan (9/10/2009)

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Wednesday laid out a series of compromises he's willing to make to get a health care overhaul through a nervous Congress this year, including diluting his vision for a new public insurance program and embracing ideas floated by Republicans.

Senator key to push for Care reform (8/27/2009)

WASHINGTON – Securing universal health care coverage for Americans was a decades-long quest that eluded Sen. Edward Kennedy. In the wake of his death, however, several key Democrats on Wednesday saw a chance to break what's become this year's stalemate by invoking his legacy and last wishes.

Record budget deficit forecast (8/26/2009)

WASHINGTON – The White House and the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday that this year's federal budget deficit will top $1.58 trillion, less than projected this spring but still historically high – high enough to pose serious problems for President Barack Obama's agenda.