House of Representatives

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Congress Debates Easing Cuba Travel Restrictions

(Newser) - A bill pending in the US House includes a provision relaxing travel restrictions on Cuban-Americans who wish to visit Cuba by slicing out funding for enforcement of a 2004 law, the Miami Herald reports. The bill, which will likely see a vote today, allows annual visits rather than one every...

What Should I Say Tonight? 5 Sure Bets
 What Should I Say
 Tonight? 5 Sure Bets
ANALYSIS

What Should I Say Tonight? 5 Sure Bets

(Newser) - President Obama has had to change his tune a few times since he took office, but the content of his speech to Congress tonight will be no surprise, Michael Scherer writes in Time. Talking points have been consistent for long enough to predict 5 key features:
  • I'm not Bush: In
...

DC Residents May Finally Get Rep. in Congress

(Newser) - Residents of the nation’s capital are poised to finally have a vote in Congress, the AP reports. Debate opened today on a bill that would give Washington’s 600,000 residents a House seat, and with a Democratic Congress and president in place, it might pass this time. Democrats...

House Passes Stimulus Bill
 House Passes Stimulus Bill 

House Passes Stimulus Bill

(Newser) - The House today passed the $787 billion stimulus bill, once again without a single Republican vote, the AP reports. Eight Democrats also opposed the bill, which will make its way to the Senate later today. The victory belongs to President Obama, who says the package will save or create 3....

Peanut Corp Execs Refuse to Testify to Congress

Plead the Fifth, decline to eat their products

(Newser) - Peanut Corp execs had little to say today to a congressional panel curious about the salmonella outbreak that sickened 600 people, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Invoking the Fifth Amendment, PCA president Stewart Parnell and plant manager Sammy Lightsey refused to answer any questions—including on whether they would be willing...

Age of Obama? More Like the Age of Pork
Age of Obama? More Like the Age of Pork
OPINION

Age of Obama? More Like the Age of Pork

He promised change, but stimulus is same old ugly politics

(Newser) - Charles Krauthammer thought it would take months for Barack Obama to lose his magic. Instead? “It took two and a half weeks,” he writes in the Washington Post. Obama’s promise to “banish the money changers and influence peddlers from the temple,” looked pretty hollow when...

Obama Is Selling It, But It's Not His Bill
Obama Is
Selling It, But
It's Not His Bill
Analysis

Obama Is Selling It, But It's Not His Bill

President let Congress write stimulus, and probably regrets it

(Newser) - Barack Obama is working mightily to sell the stimulus bill, but looks have made one major mistake, Massimo Calabresi writes in Time: He let Congress write it. Obama aides let committee staffers draft the bill, relying on their legislative expertise. “They did a good job of really deferring to...

Dems Gird for Fight Over Pro-Labor Bill

'Card check' legislation faces stiff business opposition, Senate fight

(Newser) - House Democrats are about to unveil a bill easing the unionization process, a measure that’s already sparked major backlash, the Hill reports. The Employee Free Choice Act, which President Obama has said he'll sign, would allow workers to skip secret ballot elections to create unions, instead openly signing cards....

GOP Stimulus Stonewall Spells Trouble for Prez
GOP Stimulus Stonewall Spells Trouble for Prez
ANALYSIS

GOP Stimulus Stonewall Spells Trouble for Prez

Obama team surprised by unified Republican opposition in House

(Newser) - Barack Obama's failure to snag a single vote from House Republicans for his economic stimulus package underlines the tough task the president faces in winning bipartisan support for his plan, notes Politico. Obama aides were surprised by the vote but expressed confidence that some Republicans will eventually come around.

Republican Congressman Apologizes for Limbaugh Flap

Sees 'eye-to-eye' with talk show host

(Newser) - A Republican congressman who defended his colleagues from the wrath of Rush Limbaugh apologized today to his "fellow conservatives" and said his anti-Rush statements were taken out of context, Politico reports. Georgia's Phil Gingrey said his comments "read much harsher than they were actually intended," and he...

House Passes Stimulus; No Republicans Back It

(Newser) - The House this evening passed President Obama's $819 billion stimulus plan on a party-line vote of 244-188, CNN reports. In a potentially troubling sign for the president, no Republicans voted to back the plan, which calls for $544 billion in spending and $275 billion in tax cuts. Eleven Democrats also...

House GOP Pounces on Visiting Obama

President 'all form—not substance' on stimulus, one lawmaker says

(Newser) - President Obama’s visit with House Republicans on Capitol Hill today, intended as an olive branch, instead turned into a forum for grievances about Obama’s stimulus proposals, Politico reports. The GOP is steadfast in its push for more tax cuts, but Obama isn’t budging, either. “Feel free...

Congress Mulls Salary Freeze
 Congress Mulls Salary Freeze 

Congress Mulls Salary Freeze

Both sides look to gain political capital in putting off raise

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s freeze on top White House salaries has put pressure on Congress to do the same for itself, reports Politico, but as with much on the Hill, that’s a lofty idea mired in the mud of political reality. Even those who support a pay freeze are scrambling...

GOP Needs 'a Little Chaos:' Kristol
 GOP Needs 'a Little 
 Chaos:' Kristol 
OPINION

GOP Needs 'a Little Chaos:' Kristol

(Newser) - Republicans clamoring for unified front should "calm down" and be careful what they wish for, William Kristol writes in the Weekly Standard. Firstly, Barack Obama is hugely popular; he'll be unassailable for months. What's more, spirited debate may serve the GOP better than blind adherence to conservative philosophy. Consider...

Obama: Stimulus Isn't Just a Short-Term Fix

He lays out long-term benefits of his plan

(Newser) - In a bid to build popular support, President Obama revealed more details of his economic stimulus plan today, as debate between Democrats and Republicans in Congress over the package raged on, the New York Times reports. Obama painted the measure as an investment in the country’s future, not just...

Senate Releases TARP Funds
 Senate Releases TARP Funds  

Senate Releases TARP Funds

(Newser) - The Senate agreed to let loose the remaining TARP funds today by a relatively slim margin, the Hill reports. The 52-42 vote means Obama should have access to the $350 billion about a week after he takes office. The House hasn't voted yet, but the TARP legislation requires only one...

House Dems Debut $825B Stimulus Bill

Public works, education get plenty of attention in measure

(Newser) - House Democrats today introduced a long-awaited stimulus package, developed with President-elect Obama, and totaling $825 billion, the New York Times reports. The economic recovery plan includes billions in tax cuts, Medicare subsidies, and public-education and infrastructure spending. The Senate is developing its own version, and vigorous debate is anticipated as...

Obama Inspires Young Black Pols to Take Risks for 2010

Candidates to abandon sure wins for ambitious positions

(Newser) - Young black politicians inspired by Barack Obama’s astonishingly quick ascent are pursuing riskier, more ambitious strategies for the 2010 elections, Chris Cillizza writes in the Washington Post. Florida Rep. Kendrick Meek, for example, a 42-year-old African-American, is running for the Senate seat being vacated by Mel Martinez, though Meek...

Conyers Raps Obama Surgeon General Pick

Gupta 'lacks the requisite experience,' congressman charges

(Newser) - Barack Obama's apparent choice for surgeon general, Sanjay Gupta, is drawing fire from within his own party, ABC News reports. John Conyers of Michigan, the House Judiciary Committee chair, sent a letter to his fellow legislators today encouraging them to join him in protesting the nomination of the CNN fixture...

$800B Stimulus Too Much for GOP, Too Little for Dems

Adding to already-enormous debt worries Republicans; excess of caution has other side jumpy

(Newser) - The GOP responded today to Barack Obama’s calls for immediate action on the economy, cautioning that too bold a move could have dire consequences, the Hill reports. “Let’s not use the obvious need as a way to make the problem worse,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch...

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