Congress

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Democrats May Offer New Payroll Tax Proposal

They might back away from demand for tax on millionaires

(Newser) - Democrats may jettison their demand for higher taxes on millionaires as part of legislation to extend payroll tax cuts for most Americans, officials said today. The move comes as President Obama and Congress struggled to clear critical year-end bills without triggering a partial government shutdown. Republicans, too, signaled an eagerness...

Lobbyists More Ethical Than Congress

 Lobbyists 
 More Ethical 
 Than Congress 
poll numbers
Dec 12, 2011 11:48 AM CST

Lobbyists More Ethical Than Congress

A record 64% rate Congress members' honesty as 'low' or 'very low'

(Newser) - A whopping 64% of Americans think Congress members have "low" or "very low" levels of honesty and ethical standards, a number that could not be matched even by lobbyists, car salespeople, or telemarketers. In fact, only one other group has ever received a score that high for the...

Congress (Gasp!) Poised to Pass Spending Bill

Appropriations 'the last bastion of getting something done around here': rep

(Newser) - Looks like Congress is finally getting something done with minimal angst. A $1 trillion spending bill to last through September is set to be revealed today, barring any last-minute controversy. The process has been a more simplified one thanks to the fact that the overall spending level was set at...

Another New Low for Congress
 Another New Low for Congress 
gallup poll
Dec 11, 2011 8:59 AM CST

Another New Low for Congress

Not many want to see members reelected: Gallup poll

(Newser) - Another day, another record low for Congress: Just 20% of respondents in the latest Gallup poll believe most members should be reelected. And a record high, too: The poll also finds that 76% don't believe most representatives should be reelected. That's the highest number since Gallup started asking...

Congress&#39; Productivity Plunges
 Congress' Productivity Plunges 
Dec 6, 2011 7:01 AM CST

Congress' Productivity Plunges

Hill approving fewer bills, fewer laws being signed

(Newser) - Non-election years are typically productive times for Congress, but not this year. As of last week, the House had passed 326 bills, its fewest in the last 10 non-election years, while the Senate had green-lit 368, its lowest total since 1995, the Washington Post observes. (For comparison, the House passed...

Obama Pushes Payroll Tax Cut Amid GOP Split

President puts pressure on Congress to act

(Newser) - President Obama wants voters to get involved in the debate over extending the reduced payroll tax, and he's asking them to tell members of Congress to keep the cut in place. "Let your members of Congress know where you stand," Obama said today in his weekly radio...

House Panel Subpoenas Corzine

He is expected to testify on Capitol Hill next week over MF Global

(Newser) - A congressional panel has subpoenaed Jon Corzine to testify next week about his role leading MF Global, the brokerage firm that collapsed five weeks ago after a disastrous bet on European debt. Thursday's hearing will be a rare moment in Washington. Congressional historians and Capitol Hill insiders cannot recall...

Check Out Barney's Best Videos on YouTube

From ribbing Newt Gingrich to battling Bill O'Reilly

(Newser) - With Barney Frank retiring from Congress , "It’s about to get a little dumber, and a lot duller" on Capitol Hill, Ezra Klein writes in the Washington Post . Need any proof of Frank's chutzpah? YouTube is rife with videos that display his sharp wit and natural toughness. Whether...

Colin Powell: Tea Party Candidates Can't Win

But Dems, GOP also too partisan, he tells Christiane Amanpour

(Newser) - Colin Powell took aim at Tea Party candidates, Democrats, and Republicans alike today in a plea for compromise on Capitol Hill. Speaking on Christiane Amanpour, the former Bush secretary of state said Tea Party contenders are too hard-line to win next year's presidential election: "The Tea Party point...

Gingrich: Super Committee Failure 'Good for America'

Liberal bloggers pretty happy about it, too

(Newser) - Newt Gingrich certainly isn’t mourning the super committee’s super failure , calling it “good for America” this morning, Politico reports. Gingrich, a longtime critic of the panel, said the “gridlock” in Washington is “partly the president's fault, it's partly the Congress' fault, but it'...

After Super Failure, What's Next?

Key issues remain on table for lawmakers as super committee throws in towel

(Newser) - As the debt super committee prepares for an awkward day in which it's expected to announce that it is throwing in the towel, Politico examines what's on the horizon for Washington following the failure to reach an agreement . With no workable proposal on the table, members won’t...

Super Committee Prospects? Find Synonyms for 'Bleak'

Hope fading fast as deadline nears

(Newser) - So how go the super committee talks as the clock ticks toward the deadline of Wednesday (which really means Monday night for all practical purposes)? It's all but impossible to find even a glimmer of hope:
  • Washington Post : Headline: "Supercommittee at impasse as deadline nears"; snippet: "By
...

At Least 58 Lawmakers Among Top 1%

Darrel Issa, Michael McCaul, and John Kerry top the list

(Newser) - About 11% of Congress might be taking Occupy Wall Street’s anti-1% rhetoric personally. At least 58 lawmakers have a net worth north of $9 million, putting them in the top 1% of all Americans by wealth, according to a USA Today analysis of financial disclosure forms. The actual figure...

Giffords Posts Hopeful Audio Message on Facebook

'I want to get back to work,' says congresswoman

(Newser) - Gabrielle Giffords is anxious to return to Washington, and she’s telling her supporters directly. The congresswoman has posted an audio message on Facebook, ABC News reports. “Hello, this is Gabby Giffords,” she says. “I miss you, I miss Tucson, the mountains, blue skies, even the heat....

Obama to Congress: You Go Your Way, I'll Go Mine

He heads overseas amid crunch time: Politico

(Newser) - With President Obama on a nine-day trip to Australia, Indonesia, and Hawaii as Congress's debt super committee enters its endgame phase and yet another shutdown threat looms, it's a clear sign that the branches of government "are officially in the breakup phase," writes Carrie Budoff Brown...

Super Committee May Punt on Toughest Tax Decisions

Temporary deal would defer details until after the 2012 elections

(Newser) - With Congress's debt committee apparently deadlocked and its Nov. 23 deadline looming, both parties are talking about putting off the toughest decisions until after the 2012 elections, reports the LA Times . Worried that a final deal would only inflame both bases and that outright failure would result in brutal...

Debt Plan Will Contain New Tax Revenues: Boehner

But entitlements must be adjusted, speaker says

(Newser) - Despite Republican leaders' push against a tax hike, the super committee debt deal will include new tax revenues, John Boehner said yesterday. "I think there is room for revenues, but I think there clearly is a limit to the amount of revenues that are available." His comments follow...

How Many House Members Skip Out on Votes?

More than you might think, according to 'NYT' analysis

(Newser) - If Congress was graded like school, some House members wouldn't be getting As: Almost 20 of them have missed more than 10% of this year’s votes, according to a New York Times analysis. Though 10% may not seem very significant at first glance, the Times notes that most...

Congress' Approval Rating 9%; President Obama at 46% in CBS/NYT Poll
 Congress' New 
 Approval Rating Low: 9% 
in case you missed it
Oct 29, 2011 7:00 PM CDT

Congress' New Approval Rating Low: 9%

Just when you thought 11% rating couldn't go lower...

(Newser) - Congress’ approval ratings have sunk to their lowest since CBS and the New York Times started keeping track in 1977: Just 9% of Americans now approve of the job Congress is doing, down from 11% last month. Only a tenth of Americans trust the government to make generally sound decisions,...

Lawmakers: We Hate Congress, Too

9% approval rating sounds too high to some members of Congress

(Newser) - You can add one more group to the long list of those who hate Congress—members of Congress. News that Congress' approval rating has hit a record low of 9% has left many lawmakers wondering just who the 9% are, Politico finds. “We’re below sharks and contract killers,...

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