Congress

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Congressman Threatens to Throw Reporter Off Balcony

Rep. Michael Grimm also tells NY1 reporter 'I'll break you'

(Newser) - After President Obama's State of the Union address last night, a reporter attempted to question New York Rep. Michael Grimm on 2010 campaign finance allegations—and faced a threat in return. NY1 reporter Michael Scotto interviewed the Republican in the Capitol Rotunda about the speech, the New York Daily ...

Syrian Peace Talks Hit New Stumbling Block

Meanwhile, country set to miss chemical weapons deadline

(Newser) - Geneva talks on Syria's future have been tense—and new US support for rebels isn't helping. On Monday, Reuters reported secret Congressional approval of funding to lightly arm "moderate" Syrian rebels through September. An opposition adviser reported an "outburst" by the Syrian government's lead negotiator,...

Report: Cocaine-Using Congressman to Resign

Trey Radel to submit resignation letter this morning, say sources

(Newser) - It looks like Trey Radel's "leave of absence" will become a permanent one. The freshman Republican from Florida, who in November pleaded guilty to cocaine possession, will send a letter of resignation to John Boehner today, multiple sources tell Politico . Radel is currently on probation for the drug...

Why Dentists Are Helping This Guy Get Re-Elected

Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho is one of 2 in Congress

(Newser) - As Rep. Mike Simpson braces for a tough re-election battle, he has some allies most members of Congress can't claim: dentists. Simpson is one of just two dentists in Congress; he even continued to practice in Idaho while serving in the Statehouse. This year he's trying to fend...

How Lawmakers, Lobbyists Vacation Together—Legally

Lavish fundraisers offer chance to schmooze

(Newser) - In 2007, Congress passed measures largely barring lavish lobbyist-funded trips and gatherings. But what the New York Times calls "destination fundraisers" haven't stopped, and, indirectly, they're still funded by the lobbyists, who schmooze with lawmakers in places like Napa Valley, Las Vegas, and Bermuda. The money for...

FBI Got 1K Tips a Year From NSA's Phone Program

Lawmakers divided over future of snooping

(Newser) - In an effort to boost transparency , declassified documents on the NSA's phone program were released late Friday. And though the Wall Street Journal reports they were "frequently repetitive" and heavily redacted, they did contain some standout numbers: Specifically, that the NSA furnished the FBI with an average two...

How 60 Words Created a 'War Without End'

A law approved after 9/11 has greatly expanded the president's powers

(Newser) - In the haze of 9/11, lawmakers empowered the US president to fight back—and may have given him more power than they bargained for, writes Gregory Johnsen at BuzzFeed . Congress overwhelmingly approved a 60-word law called the Authorization for the Use of Military Force , which empowered President George W. Bush...

Senate Sends $1.1T Spending Bill to Obama

No drama: President gets it in plenty of time before Saturday deadline

(Newser) - This budget stuff isn't so hard after all. Congress has easily passed a $1.1 trillion bill easing the harshest effects of last year's automatic spending cuts. The sweeping 72-26 Senate vote today to fund the government through September sends the bill to the White House for President...

House Easily Passes Bipartisan Budget Bill

It's expected to clear the Senate quickly

(Newser) - Party leaders pushed a massive $1.1 trillion spending bill for this year through the House today, shunning the turmoil of recent budget clashes with a compromise financing everything from airports to war costs. The huge bill furnishes the fine print—1,582 pages of it—for the bipartisan pact...

No Shutdown: Congress Rolls Out $1.1T Spending Bill

Bipartisan measure expected to pass easily

(Newser) - After weeks of late nights, House and Senate negotiators believe they have hammered out a bipartisan spending bill that will ensure a year free from government shutdown drama. "There will be no shutdown," says Senate Appropriations Committee chair Barbara Mikulski. "This is a strong bipartisan bill, and...

For First Time, Most Members of Congress Are Millionaires

More than half qualify, says new tally

(Newser) - It isn't too much of a stretch to say that John Boehner now presides over a millionaires' club, reports the Center for Responsive Politics . Its analysis of financial disclosure forms reveals that more than half of the members of Congress qualify. Specifically, 268 of the 534 current members had...

Poll: This Congress Is Worst Ever

Two-thirds in CNN poll say this one ranks dead last

(Newser) - Congress is wrapping up a spectacularly unproductive year , as the Huffington Post notes, so why not end the year with a spectacularly dismal public-opinion poll: Enter CNN with a survey that finds two-thirds of Americans think this is the worst Congress in their lifetime. Republican or Democrat, old or young,...

It Might Be Time to Ditch &#39;Checks and Balances&#39;
It Might Be Time to Ditch 'Checks and Balances'
OPINION
Dec 19, 2013 1:24 PM CST

It Might Be Time to Ditch 'Checks and Balances'

Peter Aldhous: Otherwise, don't expect DC's gridlock to change

(Newser) - The political gridlock in DC can't seem to get much worse, and public opinion polls about Congress can't get much lower. At Medium , Peter Aldhous runs through the usual explanations—partisan media outlets, campaign donations run amok, gerrymandering, to name a few—but he thinks those fed up...

Haters Really Hate Democrats: Poll

They're sick of both parties, Obama, but going to vote GOP

(Newser) - Had it up to here with the president and both parties on the Hill? You're a "hater," according to a new poll, and odds are, if there were an election today, you'd vote for a Republican in your House district. Some 72% of haters would choose...

Houses Passes Budget Bill
 House Passes Budget Bill 
Dec 12, 2013 5:28 PM CST

House Passes Budget Bill

2-year deal clears by wide margin; Senate expected to vote next week

(Newser) - The unusual promise of a no-drama, no-shutdown deal on the federal budget just cleared its biggest hurdle: The modest two-year pact negotiated by Paul Ryan of the House and Patty Murray of the Senate cleared the full House of Representatives today by a vote of 332-94, reports the Washington Post...

No Big Winner in Budget Deal
 No Big Winner 
 in Budget Deal 
opinion
Dec 11, 2013 12:32 PM CST

No Big Winner in Budget Deal

But are 'fees' just tax hikes?

(Newser) - A budget deal agreed upon by the House and Senate has come early , and it may prevent another shutdown—but pundits aren't exactly cheering about it. Among the responses:
  • At Slate , Matthew Yglesias says the plan will "improve the economy moderately and it achieves the GOP’s goal
...

House, Senate Negotiators Reach Early Budget Deal

Ryan, Murray replace some sequester cuts

(Newser) - No shutdown drama this time? House and Senate negotiators have reached a budget deal well ahead of the Jan. 15 deadline, reports USA Today . Republican Paul Ryan of the House and Democrat Patty Murray of the Senate announced the $85 billion package this evening, with votes in both chambers expected...

House's Plastic-Gun Ban Has a Dangerous Loophole

It doesn't take into account 3D technology: Eleanor Clift

(Newser) - The good news is that the House yesterday passed in bipartisan fashion a 10-year extension of a law that requires guns to include metal parts, writes Eleanor Clift at the Daily Beast . In theory, then, the measure makes it a lot tougher to smuggle weapons through the metal detectors of,...

Do-Nothing Congress Has Lots to Do This Month

Senate, House will only be in town together for a few days

(Newser) - Here's a list of things Congress must get done in December or else: Confirm Janet Yellen's Fed nomination; pass a new farm bill; fund the Pentagon; renew a ban on hard-to-detect plastic guns; and extend some unemployment benefits, help for workers displaced by global trade, and a set...

Fla. Rep. Pleads Guilty to Coke Charges

Judge gives Florida's Trey Radel a year of probation

(Newser) - Congressman Henry "Trey" Radel pleaded guilty to cocaine possession today, but will avoid jail time. A DC Superior Court judge sentenced the freshman Republican from Florida to one year of probation, and ordered him to receive drug treatment in his home state, the Washington Post reports. Radel had already...

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