Iowa’s Senators Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin rarely found themselves in agreement during a busy day on the Senate floor yesterday. A bill to force approval of the Keystone XL pipeline project fell one vote short of the 60-vote threshold to defeat a filibuster. The roll call shows that Grassley was among the 59 yes votes (all Republicans plus 14 Democrats), while Harkin was among the 41 Democrats who defeated the bill. Scroll to the end of this post to read Grassley’s statement on the failure to pass this measure. He backs an “all-of-the-above approach to meet the country’s energy needs and give consumers choice.” He does not address the reality that oil transported via Keystone XL would likely be sold to foreign markets, having no effect on domestic gasoline prices.

Although several of the pro-Keystone Democrats just lost their seats in this year’s elections, nine of them will continue to serve next year. That means future Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will have the votes to overcome a filibuster of future bills on the pipeline. He won’t have the 67 votes needed to overcome a presidential veto, but Republicans have vowed to attach Keystone language to “must-pass” bills that President Barack Obama won’t want to veto.

Senators also blocked a bill that would have attempted to rein in domestic surveillance by the National Security Agency. Timothy B. Lee wrote a good backgrounder on the USA Freedom Act. The cloture vote failed by 58 to 42. Like almost all the Senate Democrats, Harkin voted for proceeding to debate the bill. Like all but four Republicans, Grassley voted to block efforts to reduce NSA spying on Americans. Members of Congress will revisit this issue next year, but I’m not optimistic any reforms will pass.

Side note: among the senators who are possible Republican presidential candidates in 2016, Ted Cruz voted for the USA Freedom Act. Rand Paul and Marco Rubio voted no. Paul opposed the bill because it did not go far enough, in his view; Rubio voted no because he thought the bill would increase the risk of terrorist attacks in this country.

Last week and this week, the Senate has moved forward on several nominees for vacant judicial spots on U.S. district courts. Harkin supported confirming all of the president’s nominees. Grassley voted against cloture on all of the nominations, but Republicans were not able to block any of them from a vote on the floor, because the 60-vote threshold no longer applies to most confirmations. (That could change when Republicans take control of the chamber in the new year.) On the confirmation votes themselves, Grassley opposed most of the judges nominated by the president, with one exception last week and another exception yesterday. Many expect judicial confirmations to stop happening when Grassley becomes chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, but perhaps he will let a few non-controversial nominees through.

A bill reauthorizing the Child Care and Development Block Grant gained massive bipartisan support on Monday, passing by 88 votes to 1. Both Grassley and Harkin backed this bill. In a statement I’ve enclosed after the jump, Harkin explained how this bill “will expand access to and improve the quality of child care for the more than 1.5 million children and families that benefit from the federal child care subsidy program.” President Obama signed this bill today, and Representative Dave Loebsack (D, IA-02) attended the ceremony. He worked on the bill as ranking member of the House Education and Labor subcommittee that covers early childhood issues. I posted Loebsack’s statement below Harkin’s.

Any relevant comments are welcome in this thread.

Note: Over the years I’ve written dozens of posts about Grassley and Harkin splitting on Senate votes. I expect that to end for the most part in January. If Joni Ernst votes differently from Grassley even five times over the next two years, I’ll be shocked.

UPDATE: Added after the jump some of Harkin’s recent comments on the Keystone XL pipeline.

Statement released by Senator Chuck Grassley’s office, November 18:

Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today made the following comment on his vote in favor of the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

“We need an all-of-the-above approach to meet the country’s energy needs and give consumers choice.  That means oil, ethanol, electricity from wind, and nuclear power.  The State Department this year released its fifth environmental review of the pipeline, concluding that the project would not bear significant environmental impact and would provide the safest way to transport oil.  A pipeline would be safer than transporting oil by rail.  Congress needs to act because the Obama Administration has stalled for years.  Canada will produce this oil with or without U.S. involvement in the shipment.  I’d rather work with one of our strongest allies than continue to get oil from the volatile Middle East or Venezuela.”

UPDATE: I will miss Harkin so much.

“Every dollar that we spend on fossil fuel development and use is another dollar we spent digging the graves of our grandchildren,” the Iowa Democrat told reporters in the Capitol on Tuesday afternoon. “And I’m not going to be a part of it anymore. I’m through. That’s just how strongly I feel.”

“I know we can’t solve it overnight, but we have to be on a steep glide-path in getting rid of fossil fuels as a source of energy,” he said.

Press release from Senator Tom Harkin, November 17:

HARKIN, ALEXANDER, MIKULSKI, BURR APPLAUD SENATE PASSAGE OF BIPARTISAN BILL TO HELP AMERICAN FAMILIES ACCESS SAFE, AFFORDABLE, AND QUALITY CHILD CARE

WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Richard Burr (R-NC) today applauded Senate passage of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014, a bipartisan reauthorization that will expand access to and improve the quality of child care for the more than 1.5 million children and families that benefit from the federal child care subsidy program. The law has been due for reauthorization since 2002.

Harkin and Alexander are chairman and ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, while Mikulski and Burr are the former chairwoman and ranking member of the Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families. The legislation, which was unanimously approved by the Committee in September 2013, represents the 25th bipartisan HELP Committee bill in the 113th Congress to be considered by the full Senate. Eighteen of those bills have already been signed into law.

“An essential part of helping working families succeed is ensuring access to safe, affordable, and quality child care,” Harkin said. “Today’s Senate passage of this critical, bipartisan measure will strengthen quality and safety standards in child care settings while also ensuring that low-income and at-risk children and families have access to the affordable care they need. I am pleased this bill to promote the healthy development of our children will soon become law, and proud to be able to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to add to the HELP Committee’s record of bipartisan accomplishments.”

“Today the Senate sends to the president’s desk a bill that will help nearly 21,000 Tennessee families not only afford to enroll their children in child care, but be able to choose the care that is best for their family,” said Alexander, the top Republican on the Senate HELP Committee. “Every month, an average of 39,000 Tennessee children get childcare through this program while their parents earn an education or build a career. The legislation passed today will continue success stories like the Memphis mother whose infant received care through this program while she earned a business degree and rose to assistant manager at a Walmart, enabling her to pay for the care of her second child at the same childcare center.”

“Today’s bipartisan action by the Senate to refresh and reform the vitally important CCDBG program is good news that will bring peace of mind to the thousands of Maryland families who rely upon this program for child care. I introduced this legislation together with Senator Burr to ensure that child care across America is available, affordable, reliable, safe and exceptional,” Senator Mikulski said. “This bill reforms and refreshes important child care legislation, so moms and dads of modest means can afford child care while they go to work or school. Child care is something all families worry about, regardless of income or zip code. I look forward to this bill being signed into law so we can help ensure all children get the care they need and deserve so they and their families can have a better, brighter future.”

“After years of hard work with Senator Mikulski, I am pleased that the Senate has passed this bipartisan, commonsense piece of legislation that will foster the development of children across this nation,” said Senator Burr. “CCDBG is a welfare reform success story — supporting the safety and education of our children while empowering parents to take control of their own future. This legislation promotes transparency so parents can be well-informed consumers of child care while ensuring federal dollars will no longer go to child care providers who have been convicted of violent crimes.  I am proud to have played a part in this major achievement in helping children and their hardworking families.”

When the CCDBG program was last reauthorized in 1996, the program rightly focused primarily on workforce aid. But in the intervening years, more has been learned about the necessity of not just providing children with a place to go, but also the importance of providing them with high-quality care. Last Congress, Mikulski and Burr held three public hearings-consulting with parents, childcare providers and early learning and developmental experts and other child care advocacy organizations-to explore how best the CCDBG program could be reauthorized and improved.

The CCDBG reauthorization bill incorporates feedback and suggestions provided to the Committee since 2012. The bill requires states to devote more of their funding to quality initiatives, such as training, professional development, and professional advancement of the child care workforce.

The bill ensures that CCDBG providers meet certain health and safety requirements related to prevention and control of infectious diseases, first aid and CPR, child abuse prevention, administration of medication, prevention of and response to emergencies due to food allergies, prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and shaken baby syndrome, building and physical premises safety, and emergency response planning. The legislation gives families more stability in the CCDBG program and works to improve early childhood care also by requiring states to focus on infant and toddler quality initiatives. Finally, the bill requires mandatory background checks for child care providers in the CCDBG program.

A summary of the bill can be seen here.

Press release from Representative Dave Loebsack, November 19:

Loebsack Backed Legislation to Reform Child Care Program is Signed into Law

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Dave Loebsack today joined a bipartisan group of leaders from the House and Senate at the White House for the bill signing ceremony for the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act (CCDBG). As Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, Loebsack helped negotiate the final agreement, which will enhance transparency, strengthen health and safety protections, and improve the quality of child care for low-income families.

“Ensuring your child is safe and well cared for when you are not around is a concern for every parent. For low-income working families who are struggling to make ends meet, having someone to care for their children can mean the difference between finding a job or not,” said Loebsack. “The Child Care Development Block Grant provides a critical lifeline to families and allows them to work or attend school with the peace of mind knowing their children are safe and well cared for. This bipartisan legislation makes long needed updates and improvements to CCDBG that will promote healthy child development and enhance quality and safety. I am pleased that both Republicans and Democrats came together to help improve the lives of working families.”

The Child Care and Development Block Grant Act provides funds to states to help low-income families pay for child care while a parent works or is in an educational or job training program. The law has not been reauthorized since 1996.

The bipartisan, bicameral legislation includes reforms to:

·         Enhance parental choice by providing information about available care options from all providers, including faith-based and community-based providers, and allowing parents to choose the child care provider that best suits their family’s needs.

·         Strengthen safety in child care settings by requiring all providers to comply with state health, safety, and fire standards and undergo annual inspections.

·         Promote high quality child care by reserving funds at the state level to improve the quality of care provided to children, enhancing states’ ability to train providers and develop safer and more effective child care services.

The text of the bill is available here.