House of Representatives

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No Debt Compromise In Sight
 No Debt Compromise in Sight 
Jul 19, 2011 7:58 AM CDT

No Debt Compromise in Sight

One top Democrat says things getting 'very, very scary'

(Newser) - Exasperation is high on Capitol Hill, as the House and Senate barrel ahead with unrelated debt ceiling plans, neither of which resemble the “grand bargain” President Obama wanted. Today, John Boehner will hold a vote on his so-called “Cut, Cap, and Balance” bill, which calls for $5.8...

Ron Paul Retiring From House in 2012

He will not seek re-election so that he can focus on presidential bid

(Newser) - Texas Rep. Ron Paul has decided to put all his eggs into one basket. Paul announced on his Facebook page that he will not seek re-election because he wants to focus all his energy on "winning the presidency," USA Today reports. He also told a local paper he...

House GOP Refuses All Defense Cuts

Military spending a major point of contention at federal budget talks

(Newser) - House Republicans resoundingly rejected even modest cuts in defense spending last week, sending an uncomfortable message to leaders negotiating cuts for a debt ceiling deal. After three days of floor debate, the GOP shot down even modest reductions of military spending, including cuts for military bands or the Pentagon's...

House to Vote on Resolution to End Libya Mission

...or to authorize it once and for all

(Newser) - John Boehner intends to give the House a binary choice: Either vote to authorize the US’ mission in Libya, or vote to end it. Boehner will meet with House Republicans this morning to discuss a pair of measures that he could bring to the floor by Friday, the Hill reports....

Newest Weiner Photo to Emerge: in Bra, Stockings

Dems ready to talk tough today to push congressman out the door

(Newser) - What a drag. A new photo has emerged of Rep. Anthony Weiner strutting in a bra and black stockings. "Busted Wearing Women's Lingerie," screams the National Enquirer headline next to the photo slapped on the cover of yesterday's edition. The shot was taken Weiner's sophomore...

What Travel Austerity? Congress Globe-Trots in 2011

House lawmakers on track to take 35% more trips in 2011

(Newser) - Just last summer, congressional leaders pledged to spend less on travel—but they're not exactly traveling less. During the first five months of this year, special interest groups have spent more than $1 million on lawmakers’ trips, some 200 of them, nearly double the amount spent during the same...

Nancy Pelosi Urges Weiner to Resign

He loses support of top House Democrats

(Newser) - Another bad day for Anthony Weiner: Nancy Pelosi and other top House Democrats told him to resign today, reports Politico . Weiner has insisted he would not do so, but the shift from Pelosi, Steve Israel, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz will ratchet up the pressure significantly. They released statements within minutes...

GOP Freshmen Promise Cuts, Spend Big in First Quarter

PR, car leases cost taxpayers a bunch

(Newser) - Despite campaign promises to slash the federal budget, some GOP House freshmen are sparing no expense on cars and PR at taxpayer expense. At least 15 newly elected Republicans have spent tens of thousands on mailings that boost their exposure in their districts, says House quarterly disbursement reports. Many also...

Boehner Gets $2K a Month for 'Expenses'

He's the only member of the House getting a monthly check

(Newser) - Apparently, being speaker of the house is an expensive gig, because John Boehner is getting a $2,083.33 check to cover unspecified expenses every month—up from the $833 he received as minority leader, Roll Call reports. The figure is exactly the same every month, so it doesn’t...

House Scolds Obama on Libya

But it rejects more drastic measure demanding withdrawal

(Newser) - President Obama has two weeks to convince Congress that involvement in attacks against Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi are in the best interest of the US, according to a resolution approved on Capitol Hill today. The House criticized the president for moving ahead with the 76-day-old military campaign without seeking congressional...

House Rejects Debt Limit Increase

Move underscores GOP demand for spending cuts

(Newser) - House Republicans dealt defeat to their own proposal for a $2.4 trillion increase in the nation's debt limit today, a political gambit designed to reinforce a demand for spending cuts to accompany any increase in government borrowing. The vote was lopsided, with just 97 in favor of the...

Democrat Kathy Hochul Wins New York's 26th District Special Election
 Dem Wins NY Election in Upset 
May 25, 2011 6:00 AM CDT

Dem Wins NY Election in Upset

Medicare debate boosts Kathy Hochul to victory

(Newser) - Democrat Kathy Hochul has scored an upset win in one of New York state's most conservative congressional districts. Republican Jane Corwin had been expected to easily win the special election in the state's 26th district but her support ebbed away after she expressed support for the GOP's...

House Candidate: Vote for Me ... My Wife Is Korean!

So vote for Dan Adler, because 'we minorities should stick together'

(Newser) - Dan Adler is campaigning for Jane Harman 's vacated House seat, and the California Democrat has an odd, possibly offensive reason certain people should vote for him: His wife is Korean! Oh, and he himself is Jewish, and as his odd campaign ad states, "We minorities should stick...

Democrats Nearly Trick GOP Into Legislative Blunder

They tried to dupe Republicans into adopting ultra-conservative budget

(Newser) - Democrats tried to pull a fast one today on Republicans on the House floor, reports Talking Points Memo . Before Paul Ryan's budget blueprint passed , a far more conservative offering from the Republican Study Committee came up for a vote, one that called for much deeper cuts in spending and...

House Passes Ryan Plan; All Democrats Vote No

His 2012 blueprint calls for overhauling Medicare and Medicaid

(Newser) - In a prelude to a summer showdown with President Obama, Republicans controlling the House today passed a bold but politically risky budget blueprint to slash social safety net programs like food stamps and Medicaid and fundamentally restructure Medicare. The GOP plan, authored by Rep. Paul Ryan, passed 235-193 with every...

Budget Deal Clears House, Senate

Any threat of a government shutdown is now gone

(Newser) - The shutdown showdown is over, at least until the fall. The House and Senate today passed a measure to fund the government through September, the end of the 2011 fiscal year. The bill passed 260-167 in the House on a bipartisan vote, required because 59 Republicans broke ranks and voted...

Hot Trend in the House: Fasting Lawmakers

Steve King, Barbara Lee go without for different reasons

(Newser) - The Hill picks up on a House trend that seems to span the political spectrum—fasting. On the left is Rep. Barbara Lee, who's organizing an effort in which about two dozen lawmakers will take turns going 24 hours with no food, only water, until Easter. The idea is...

House Passes Stopgap; Obama Promises Veto

President calls it a 'distraction,' and it won't clear Senate anyway

(Newser) - The GOP-controlled House easily passed another stopgap measure today that would keep the government running for another week, but President Obama called it a "distraction" and promised to veto it if reached his desk. It probably won't, however, because Senate Democrats aren't expected to even consider it. Obama, meanwhile,...

Deployed Soldiers Cost N. Carolina a Congress Seat

But they will return to North Carolina, guv's rep points out

(Newser) - During last year's Census, more than 40,000 troops were deployed from North Carolina's military bases—but because only 12,200 of them listed North Carolina as their home state, the state lost out on a congressional seat. That's because, though the Census usually counts the troops' current base as...

GOP Votes to Ax Foreclosure Aid Program

But bill is unlikely to clear Senate

(Newser) - The House of Representatives yesterday passed a bill that would kill off President Obama’s top foreclosure prevention program, in a 252-170 vote that broke mainly along partisan lines. Republicans said the Home Affordable Modification Program, which gives banks incentives to modify mortgages, had proven ineffective, helping less than 600,...

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