Congress

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Dodd, Conrad Cleared But Scolded in Mortgage Probe

(Newser) - Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad have been cleared of wrongdoing in taking preferred loans from Countrywide Financial, the Hill reports. But the Senate ethics panel gave both Democrats slaps on the wrist. No “credible evidence” of ethics violations emerged, the committee said in a statement, but two “should...

Congress Plans $550M Upgrade to Its Jet Fleet

(Newser) - Congress plans to spend $550 million to upgrade and expand the fleet of jets used to ferry federal officials around the country and abroad, the Wall Street Journal reports. Funds approved by the House for the military-run fleet call for two 737s and two Gulfstream jets on top of the...

Progressives' Memo: Here's How to Outwit Righty Protesters

Memo urges civil discourse, chanting

(Newser) - A progressive organization is trying to turn the tables on conservative protesters who have been interrupting Town Hall discussions on health care reform, Talking Points Memo reports. Health Care for America Now has released a memo outlining tactics for defusing shouting matches and allowing lawmakers to actually answer questions. First...

Gov't Health Plan Would Cover Abortion

Both sides get ready to rumble over incendiary funding

(Newser) - Health care legislation before Congress would allow a new government-sponsored insurance plan to cover abortions, a decision that would affect millions of women and recast federal policy on the divisive issue. Advocates on both sides are preparing for a renewed battle, which could jeopardize support for President Obama's health care...

To Dodge Obamacare, Turn Amish (or Mennonite)
To Dodge Obamacare, Turn Amish (or Mennonite)
analysis
Aug 3, 2009 1:56 PM CDT

To Dodge Obamacare, Turn Amish (or Mennonite)

Measure based on tax laws aimed at Amish

(Newser) - Backers of health care reform on Capitol Hill want a plan that mandates insurance for all—but they appear willing to bend the rules for some religious Americans, Maura Reynolds of CQ Politics reports. Current legislation contains a religious exemption based on tax laws meant to give leeway to the...

White House Pushes to Clear Up Clunkers Backlog

(Newser) - The White House has asked Citigroup, which is administering the Cash for Clunkers program, to double or even triple the number of workers processing paperwork, Bloomberg reports. That move could clear up a backlog of dealer applications that grew with the surprise success of the program. The administration also says...

5 Things to Watch During Critical August Break
 5 Things to Watch During 
 Critical August Break
forget the beach
Aug 3, 2009 12:20 PM CDT

5 Things to Watch During Critical August Break

Health care takes center stage in 'consequential' recess

(Newser) - With health care reform hanging in the balance, the August congressional recess is likely to be a lot less relaxing than usual, writes Glenn Thrush in Politico. What to watch:
  1. Health insurers’ response to Nancy Pelosi’s singling them out as the "bad guys" on soaring health care costs.
...

Health Care Works Great&mdash; for Congress
Health Care Works Great—
for Congress
ANALYSIS
Aug 2, 2009 2:00 PM CDT

Health Care Works Great— for Congress

Taxpayers spend $15B to offer 8.5M federal workers primo benefits

(Newser) - As members of Congress tear into each other over health care reform, they do so assured that a top shelf taxpayer-funded smorgasboard of health plans are there to respond to their slightest sniffle, Mark Barabak and Faye Fiore note in the Los Angeles Times. Last year, taxpayers spent about $15...

Panetta to Congress: Let Go of the Past
Panetta to Congress: Let Go of the Past
OPINION
Aug 2, 2009 12:47 PM CDT

Panetta to Congress: Let Go of the Past

Fighting over defunct Bush-era programs only hurt CIA, chief says

(Newser) - It's time for the toxic air of recriminations and mistrust in Washington about the CIA’s post-9/11 intelligence programs to blow over, Leon Panetta writes today in the Washington Post. “I've become increasingly concerned that the focus on the past, especially in Congress, threatens to distract the CIA from...

NRA Fails to Win Votes Against Sotomayor

(Newser) - The National Rifle Association is taking aim at lawmakers over Sonia Sotomayor but failing to buckle many knees, the AP reports. Breaking from its habit of avoiding Supreme Court nomination picks, the NRA has threatened to penalize legislators who vote for Sotomayor. But Blue Dog Democrats and some Republicans are...

Health Bill Compromise Kicks Off 5-Week Battle

(Newser) - A key House committee approved a health care package tonight, kicking off a 5-week public battle on the issue and sending lawmakers home for August recess, the Washington Post reports. The 31-to-28 vote in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, fueled by a liberal–Blue Dog deal this morning, could...

House Votes to Curb Wall Street Bonuses

(Newser) - Bowing to populist anger, the House voted today to prohibit pay and bonus packages that encourage bankers and traders to take risks so big they could bring down the entire US economy. Passage of the bill on a 237-185 vote followed the disclosure a day earlier that nine of the...

House Votes to Add $2B to Clunkers Program

(Newser) - The House voted today to beef up the "cash for clunkers" program to the tune of $2 billion, but that doesn’t mean shoppers and dealers are any clearer on the federal program, the Detroit Free Press reports. “It is an absolute total mess,” one dealer says....

Town Halls Turn to Mayhem for Lawmakers

'Unruly mob' mentality becoming more common at events

(Newser) - Members of Congress are increasingly seeing town-hall meetings turn to bedlam, with people yelling and protesters being pulled out by police, Politico reports. A New York representative who’d hosted more than 100 such meetings has called it quits after a chaotic scene last month that necessitated his departure with...

Houses Passes Sweeping Food Safety Bill

(Newser) - The FDA would gain broad new powers to oversee food safety under a far-reaching bill passed by the House yesterday, the Washington Post reports. The measure—representing the first major changes to food safety laws since the 1930s—would give the agency vastly increased oversight of the nation's food chain...

Lawmakers Pushing to Extend Stimulus Tax Breaks

(Newser) - It's like a second, mini-stimulus. Lawmakers from both parties are pushing to extend the life of various tax breaks and benefits included in the original $787 billion stimulus package, the Hill reports. All told, the wish list adds up to about $88 billion. The biggest chunk of that would be...

Judge Orders Gitmo Detainee Returned to Afghanistan

But Mohammed Jawad may still face conventional prosecution

(Newser) - A Guantanamo Bay inmate may be released to Afghanistan next month after successfully challenging his detention under habeas corpus, the Washington Post reports. US District Judge Ellen Huvelle ordered Mohammed Jawad’s release based on the dodgy evidence against him—mainly, a confession allegedly obtained by threatening to kill Jawad...

Anti-Earmark Rep. Scores Earmark for Blimp Research

Sessions' $1.6M went to firm not in his district

(Newser) - Rep. Pete Sessions is a vocal opponent of earmarks, but last year he scored one for a company that's not even in his district. Thanks to Sessions, $1.6 million for airship research went to a firm with no experience in either government contracting or blimp-making, Politico reports. Seems that...

Our Decrepit Democracy Can't Fix Health Care: Klein

(Newser) - Powerful special interests are killing health-care reform, which is par for the course in Congress, writes Joe Klein of Time. “We’ve gotten rusty at legislating,” says one Tennessee Democrat. That’s overly kind, Klein retorts. The only bills that pass these days are essentials like budgets and...

Why Congress Won't Face the Fat Problem
 Why Congress Won't 
 Face the Fat Problem 
analysis
Jul 30, 2009 11:10 AM CDT

Why Congress Won't Face the Fat Problem

Lawmakers fear giving US 'bad news'—especially while munching Doritos

(Newser) - Congress is “in denial” on one key health issue: obesity, writes Lisa Lerer for Politico. Obesity-related illnesses reportedly cost $147 billion, or 10% of medical spending, last year—and lawmakers say they’re focused on cost-cutting. But, experts say, “no one wants to tell Americans the bad news....

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