Coats, Donnelly Split on Fast Track Trade Vote
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Coats, Donnelly Split on Fast Track Trade Vote

Indiana’s two senators took divergent paths in their votes on so-called “fast track” trade authority. Senator Dan Coats, a Republican who announced that he is retiring in 2016, voted to give President Obama the authority to finalize a free trade deal known as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Senator Joe Donnelly, a first-term Democrat, voted…

Coats Retirement Sparks Scramble for Key Senate Seat
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Coats Retirement Sparks Scramble for Key Senate Seat

Senator Dan Coats announced today that he will not seek re-election in 2016, creating a mad scramble among potential candidates for a seat that could determine which party controls the United States Senate. “This was not an easy decision,” Coats said, arguing that he was well-positioned to win but ultimately “concluded that the time has…

Coats and Donnelly Renew Push for Medical Device Tax Repeal

Coats and Donnelly Renew Push for Medical Device Tax Repeal

Indiana’s two senators are sponsoring a bill that would repeal the medical device tax. The 2.3 percent tax went into effect in January 2013 as part of the Affordable Care Act. Senator Joe Donnelly, who has sponsored legislation in the past that would repeal the tax, says that it is “past time to repeal the…

Indiana Politicians React to President Obama’s Immigration Plan
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Indiana Politicians React to President Obama’s Immigration Plan

President Barack Obama unveiled a bold plan yesterday that would provide protection from deportation for up to four million undocumented immigrants, while promising to step up efforts to curtail illegal entry at the border and prioritize the deportation of felons. While immigrant rights groups cheered the president’s executive actions, which he promised to take earlier…

Indiana’s Senators Urge VA to Consider Travel Time in Allowing Non-VA Providers
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Indiana’s Senators Urge VA to Consider Travel Time in Allowing Non-VA Providers

Indiana’s two senators and a Northwest Indiana Congressman are urging the Department of Veterans Affairs to consider more than just total distance in allowing access to non-VA health care services. Senators Joe Donnelly and Dan Coats, along with Representative Pete Visclosky, sent the letter to the VA on October 31. “We urge you to use…

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Senator Coats Hints Support for Expanded Military Response to ISIS

Senator Dan Coats (R-IN) appeared on CNN this morning with former Congressman and 9/11 Committee Co-Chairman Lee Hamilton to discuss ISIS and how the United States should respond. Indiana’s senior senator suggested that the US should look at its visa waiver program to deal with the re-entry of Americans from Syria and that the military…