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U.S. Congress moves to revamp toxic chemical law

Legislation with bipartisan support that would revamp U.S. chemical safety law for the first time in decades is advancing in Congress, winning overwhelming passage in the House of Representatives as backers sought quick Senate action. Senate leadership aides said the timing was still being worked out for a Senate vote on the first update of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in about 40 years. The House’s 403-12 vote to pass the measure updating the regulation of toxic chemicals aided the bill’s chances, with the Senate also expected to strongly embrace the bill, according to leadership aides.

Obama presses for U.S. funding bill amid Republican disarray

U.S. President Barack Obama urged Congress on Wednesday to avoid shutting down the government starting on Oct. 1, as Republicans in the House of Representatives struggled to get enough votes to pass a bill to fund it. Some conservatives want to punish women's healthcare provider Planned Parenthood by denying the group federal funds. Conservative Republicans are watching how the battle plays out.

Prosecutors seek congressional probe of supplement industry

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — A group of 14 attorneys general has asked Congress to launch an investigation of the herbal supplements industry and to consider giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stronger oversight of the industry, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced.

Former Utah Senator Bob Bennett diagnosed with pancreatic cancer

(Reuters) – Former U.S. Senator Bob Bennett, the Utah Republican who was one of the first, high-profile political casualties of a 2010 Tea Party insurgency, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and will begin treatment later this week, Utah media reported on Wednesday. Bennett, 81, said in a statement quoted by the Salt Lake Tribune that doctors were hopeful that a “combination of chemotherapy and radiation can shrink the tumor to a point where it will become operable.” The Utah Deseret News further quoted the former senator as saying there was “no firm prognosis” for him at this point. Both newspapers said he planned to begin treatment on Friday at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Bennett’s bid for a fourth Senate term in 2010 foundered on a conservative backlash over the healthcare overhaul pushed through Congress by President Barack Obama, leading to a revolt against the Republican Party establishment by state Tea Party activists.