112th Congress

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Goodbye, 112th Congress, We Hardly Liked Ye
Goodbye, 112th Congress,
We Hardly Liked Ye
OPINION
Jan 3, 2013 10:42 AM CST

Goodbye, 112th Congress, We Hardly Liked Ye

Pundits remind us just how do-nothing this Congress has been

(Newser) - Today sees the end of the 112th Congress and the start of the 113th , and that has a few pundits shedding a tear—from laughing so hard at how futile and ridiculous this last wave of Congress has been. Among the adieus to the 112th:
  • Gail Collins, the New York
...

Adios to the Quirks of the 112th Congress

Say goodbye to this Congress' puppies, purses, and ponytails

(Newser) - As more than 80 members of the legislative branch prepare to pack up their bags and hit the road, the New York Times takes a look at some of the quirky characters and characteristics of the 112th Congress that are leaving us for good:
  • No more fluffy dogs: North Dakota
...

This Congress Is Least Productive on Record

Another new low for unloved 112th Congress

(Newser) - Harry Truman called the 80th Congress "do-nothing" in 1948, but they look like massive overachievers compared to today's crop of lawmakers, a USA Today analysis finds. The 112th Congress has passed just 61 bills out of 3,914 into law this year, putting it on course to be...

Congress Is Done for the Year
 Congress Is Done for the Year 
yep, it's only Feb. 16
Feb 16, 2012 9:03 AM CST

Congress Is Done for the Year

Don't expect any major legislation in 2012

(Newser) - It's only February, but most lawmakers expect the payroll tax holiday extension be the last major piece of legislation Congress passes all year, as election year politicking brings the 112th Congress —not exactly known for its blistering pace —to a screeching halt. What will Congress do about...

GOP Frosh's Plan to Reduce Debt a Pathetic Gesture
GOP Frosh's Plan to Reduce Debt a Pathetic Gesture
Dana Milbank
Feb 2, 2012 9:28 AM CST

GOP Frosh's Plan to Reduce Debt a Pathetic Gesture

Dana Milbank amused 2010's revolutionaries grand plan

(Newser) - Republicans swept into Washington in 2010 vowing to reduce the debt, and yesterday eight of them unveiled their plan to do so... by returning the unused portion of their office budgets, reducing the debt by all of $1.5 million ... "a whopping .00001% of what the nation owes. The...

84% Unhappy With Congress
 84% Unhappy With Congress 
survey says
Jan 17, 2012 7:15 AM CST

84% Unhappy With Congress

That's another new record...

(Newser) - For once, a poll finds a new high for Congress rather than a new low. Of course, that high—84%—is the percentage of Americans who disapprove of the job Congress is doing. And many Americans aren't just moderately unhappy: Almost two-thirds of that group "disapprove strongly."...

House Passes Spending Bill, But...

...the Senate vows to oppose it, so Oct. 1 shutdown again a possibility

(Newser) - House Republicans got their ducks in a row late last night, passing a spending measure nearly identical to the one that went down in flames Wednesday. But that might not be enough to prevent a government shutdown, because the Senate is drawing a hard line against the bill, the Washington ...

Republicans Hand Boehner Embarassing Defeat

It's a setback for speaker as Democrats show rare unity

(Newser) - The House’s failure to pass a Republican spending bill to keep the government running last night was an embarrassing defeat for John Boehner, underscoring that he can’t count on his own caucus, Politico observes—and can't move if Democrats are united against him. “He can’t...

Tea Party Frosh Have Voted in Lockstep With GOP
Tea Party Frosh Have Voted
in Lockstep With GOP
Analysis
Sep 14, 2011 2:00 PM CDT

Tea Party Frosh Have Voted in Lockstep With GOP

So much for being fiery outsiders

(Newser) - The House’s crop of enraged Tea Party freshmen hasn’t exactly been the independent firebrands they were advertised as, at least as far as their actual voting record is concerned. In more than 100 key House votes, Republican freshmen bucked their party at a rate of about 12.5%,...

GOP's New Crusade: Balanced Budget Amendment

Some Democrats amenable to the plan, say insiders

(Newser) - Emboldened after the debt limit fight, Republicans are shifting energies to their quest for a balanced budget amendment—but such a measure faces major hurdles, the New York Times reports. John Boehner has called on congressional Republicans to spend their August recess convincing the public of the importance of such...

Debt Talks Bring Out Boehner/Cantor Rivalry

Boehner is more pragmatic; Cantor draws line, refuses compromise

(Newser) - The GOP’s high-wire debt ceiling talks have turned a spotlight on the growing rivalry between John Boehner and Eric Cantor, the Washington Post observes. Until Sunday’s talks, Boehner had been pushing for a grand compromise, while Cantor categorically refused anything involving tax increases. Yesterday, Cantor insisted that he...

This Congress Is the Least Productive in Decades

Partisan gridlock leads to few votes, fewer laws: LA Times

(Newser) - The Los Angeles Times takes stock of the accomplishments of the 112th Congress, and it isn't pretty: This Congress "is on pace to be one of the least productive in recent memory—as measured by votes taken, bills made into laws, nominees approved," writes Kathleen Hennessey. It'...

Eric Cantor: Hey, Obama, the GOP Can't Enact Deficit Reform Alone


 Hey, Obama, 
 GOP 'Can't 
 Do It Alone' 
ERIC CANTOR
Feb 20, 2011 9:04 AM CST

Hey, Obama, GOP 'Can't Do It Alone'

This is the president's 'leadership moment'

(Newser) - President Obama's deficit commission co-chairs may think real fiscal responsibility is still possible, but Eric Cantor thinks the president's budget "shattered our best hopes" with its "conspicuous lack of candor." "This is a leadership moment," he writes in an opinion on Politico. "House Republicans...

House Passes $60B in Cuts
 House Passes $60B in Cuts 
Feb 19, 2011 5:33 AM CST

House Passes $60B in Cuts

Measure sets up deep divide between House, Senate

(Newser) - The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed $61 billion in federal spending cuts this morning, burning the midnight oil to hack federal cash going to coal companies, oil refiners, farmers, health care reform, and environmental initiatives. "The American people have spoken. They demand that Washington stop its out-of-control spending now,...

Hooray for the Budget Brawl!
 Hooray for the Budget Brawl! 
OPINION
Feb 18, 2011 12:44 PM CST

Hooray for the Budget Brawl!

This messy stuff is what democracy is supposed to look like

(Newser) - The Washington press corps hasn’t been kind to John Boehner's budget free-for-all , calling it “chaos,” a “headache,” “turmoil,” and worse. “There’s a far better word for what happened: democracy,” writes Kimberly Strassel in the Wall Street Journal . Boehner’s allowed...

New Lawmakers Battle Freshman 15

Seriously, does this suit make me look fat?

(Newser) - Being a freshman is tough: Making friends, figuring out where the bathroom is, partying without packing on the pounds. Such are the trials and tribulations of the newest crop of lawmakers, who report that weight gain—thanks in part to frequent cocktail parties—is no joke. “At every event,...

House GOP Shows Cracks
 House GOP Shows Cracks 
Feb 10, 2011 7:56 AM CST

House GOP Shows Cracks

Majority isn't united as the old minority

(Newser) - It’s been a really bad week to be John Boehner. The House’s Republican majority looks to be coming apart at the seams already, after a pair of failed floor votes, a backlash from the right over spending cuts, and Christopher Lee’s scandal-fueled resignation , both Politico and the...

GOP Reschedules Health Care Repeal Vote

Determined to move back toward business as usual

(Newser) - House Republicans will vote to repeal the health care reform law next week, likely on Wednesday, after a week-long delay in the wake of the Gabrielle Giffords shooting. “It is important for Congress to get back to work,” an Eric Cantor spokesman said, “and to that end...

GOP Has Alternate Plan to Kill Health Care Bill

They'd essentially cut off all the money for it

(Newser) - The vote Republicans take to repeal the health care law next week will be purely symbolic—there’s no way repeal would get through the Senate and White House—but Republicans have a Plan B. It's called choke off the money. Congressman Steve King is floating a rule that would...

House Republicans Vote Before Swearing In

2 Reps' votes invalidated after blunder

(Newser) - House Republicans were left red-faced yesterday after realizing that two of them had cast votes even though they weren't technically members of Congress. Reps. Pete Sessions and Mike Fitzpatrick skipped this week's official swearing-in ceremony on the House floor to attend a ceremony elsewhere. The eight votes they cast during...

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