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Republicans turned back efforts Tuesday to force all oil shipped through the prospective Keystone XL pipeline to be sold in the U.S., as the Senate began the first real work on the biggest bill of the new Congress.

They were the first votes on amendments that the Senate has held since July 29 or nearly six months ago, when Democrats were in control of the chamber and routinely shut down debate on most bills.

Republicans, who took control of the chamber earlier this year, have promised a more open process that would allow both sides to offer amendments and to get votes on them.

SEE ALSO: Canada disses Obama, postpones meeting with U.S. over Keystone pipeline: report

Democrats plan to use those amendments force the GOP to make tough choices, and two of those came Tuesday on the proposal to restrict Keystone oil to the U.S., and another to require the pipeline be built using only American-produced steel.

Republicans, joined by three Democrats, tabled the oil amendment 57-42, and tabled the steel amendment 53-46, with one Republican defecting to vote with Democrats.

Lets get this process moving, said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska Republican and chairwoman of the Senate Energy Committee.

SEE ALSO: John Cornyn, Senates No. 2 Republican: Overriding veto on Keystone a work in progress

The amendments were part of a GOP push to approve construction of the Keystone pipeline, which would carry tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the U.S. coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

A bill has already cleared the House and needs only Senate approval to go to President Obama though Mr. Obama has vowed a veto, saying he is still trying to make a final decision on approval and doesnt want his authority short-circuited.

Link:
Democrats' Keystone amendments rejected by Republicans

Theres one part of ObamaCare that even many Democrats hate the so-called Cadillac tax on generous health plans.

It doesnt go into effect until 2018, but employers know its coming and are already cutting health benefits to stay under the Cadillac line. Its clobbering workers and roiling union negotiations across the country.

The growing uproar over this tax may even present an opportunity for Republicans in Congress to woo enough Democratic votes to pass changes to ObamaCare and overcome President Obamas likely veto.

As far back as 2009, the president said he wanted to penalize fancy plans that end up driving up costs. The Affordable Care Act slapped a 40 percent tax on these plans, starting in 2018.

Yet its not just fancy people who have these plans. Over the years, countless blue-collar and union workers have opted for these generous benefits instead of wage hikes. Thats why AFSCME leader Gerald McEntee blasted Obamas idea as bulls----.

Now the manure is hitting the fan. In 2018, about half of companies will have to pay the tax if they dont first reduce benefits below what Washington considers excessive: $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for families. Companies are already raising deductibles and copays or skimping on coverage, according to Towers Watson benefit consultants.

Not that the presidents team ever admitted that ObamaCare would tax health benefits quite the contrary. When ObamaCare required the value of your health benefits to be reported on you W-2, raising fears that it would be taxed, White House spokesperson Stephanie Cutter said, Dont believe it ... you will absolutely not pay taxes on these benefits.

In 2011, ObamaCare architect Jonathan Gruber told a select audience that he thought the administration would get away with the deception by mislabeling it, calling it a tax on insurance plans rather than a tax on people.

Union leaders werent fooled. In July 2013, three large unions, including the Teamsters, sent a letter to congressional Democrats warning that the tax will destroy the very health and well being of our members.

Recalling Obamas promise that if we liked the health plans we have now, we could keep them, the union leaders were blunt: We voted for you. We have a problem: You need to fix it.

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Killer Cadillac tax: Even Democrats are angry

This Monday, Feb. 25, 2008 file photo shows the skyline of downtown Columbus, Ohio. Democrats are weighing New York, Philadelphia or Columbus, Ohio, for its 2016 convention. Party officials are expected to make a final decision in late January or early February. (Kiichiro Sato, AP file)

WASHINGTON For Democrats, New York would offer a diverse tableau in liberal Brooklyn and a touch of Clinton nostalgia. Philadelphia would give the party a patriotic backdrop, while Columbus would raise the curtain on another campaign showdown in Ohio.

Democrats are closing in on a final decision on where to hold their 2016 convention, a site that could serve as a passing of the baton from President Barack Obama to Hillary Rodham Clinton, the leading contender for the Democratic nomination should she run for president again.

With a price tag of at least $65 million, the choice will come down to whether to set the stage for Obama's Democratic successor in a big city or in the confines of another battleground state. Obama was nominated in Denver in 2008 and in Charlotte, N.C., in 2012.

A decision is expected in late January or early February.

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Decision looms for Democrats on convention site

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Democrats push for hiring of more child welfare workers
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