DNC chief backs debt plan as other Dems withhold judgment
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.) endorsed the compromise debt ceiling proposal on Sunday evening, becoming the first major House Democrat to do so.
Even while Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reserved judgment on the deal forged by Senate leaders and blessed by President Obama, Wasserman Schultz, a Florida congresswoman, urged rank-and-file Democrats to get behind the plan.
"I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this compromise and renew their commitment to working to together in a bipartisan ! fashion to move our country forward," Wasserman Schultz said in a statement.
The deal struck Sunday, which cuts up to $2.4 trillion from the budget in exchange for a two-stage increase in the nation's debt limit, received quick support from Obama and some party leaders on both sides of the aisle.
But the plan faces its most significant challenges in the House, with its more liberal Democratic flank and deeply conservative Republican flank each emerging in union against the deal.
To that end, Pelosi wouldn't immediately endorse the deal in comments Sunday night, having said that her caucus would have to meet first before rendering judgment.
"I have to meet with my caucus tomorrow to see how they wish to proceed," Pelosi said. "We all may not be able to support it, or none of us may be able to support it. But we'll wait and see."
Wasserman Schultz, of course, faces different obligations from Pelosi as head of the DNC.! The Florida congresswoman is principally charged with working! to boos t the president's political standing, and that of the party's, going into next year's election.
But it would certainly create the perception of divisions among Democrats if Pelosi and other members of the House Democratic leadership were to ultimately come out in opposition to the deal.
Wasserman Schultz also made the argument for why the deal meets Democratic principles, especially amid frustration from liberals who feel that the administration and Senate Democrats caved to GOP demands over the course of the debt ceiling talks.
"The president and Democrats' primary focus has been to ensure that we meet our obligations and avoid default while beginning to get our fiscal house in order. This deal accomplishes that," she said. "It puts in place a framework for long-term fiscal discipline and it makes a down payment on deficit reduction. The agreement sets the stage for a balanced package that includes revenues."
Gingrich regrets 2008 climate ad with Pelosi
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Tuesday he regrets making a commercial with Nancy Pelosi on addressing climate change.
Tea Party leader: Boehner must go
Tea Party leader Judson Phillips called on Boehner to be replaced by a "Tea Party Speaker of the House."
Boehner briefed Limbaugh on debt plan
Speaker Boehner outlined the GOP's debt-ceiling plan to conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh on Monday before showing it to his conference.Â
McConnell says both sides 'very close' to deal for $3 trillion in spending cuts
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he expects to reach a deal to cut federal spending by roughly $3 trillion before the deadline to raise the debt ceiling.
McConnell says deal for $3 trillion in spending cuts "very close"
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he expects to reach a deal to cut federal spending by roughly $3 trillion before the deadline to raise the debt ceiling.
McConnell says deal for $3 trillion in spending cuts 'very close'
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he expects to reach a deal to cut federal spending by roughly $3 trillion before the deadline to raise the debt ceiling.
Sen. Conrad: Gang of Six waiting for Reid, Boehner plans to fail
Conrad says the Gang of Six will have their draft proposal ready after Boehner and Reid’s bills fail.
Morning Videos: Lawmakers, business leaders hope for quick deal
As efforts to reach an agreement to raise the debt-ceiling continued on Monday morning, business leaders and politicians reviewed the state of negotiations and shared their views on what lies ahead as lawmakers enter the last full week before the Aug. 2 deadline. Â
Watch below for a round-up of this morning's video highlights.
Lawmakers, business leaders hope for quick deal
As efforts to reach an agreement to raise the debt-ceiling continued on Monday morning, business leaders and politicians reviewed the state of negotiations and shared their views on what lies ahead as lawmakers enter the last full week before the Aug. 2 deadline. Â
Watch below for a round-up of this morning's video highlights.
Perry takes the lead at Intrade
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) has taken the lead at Intrade, “The World’s Leading Prediction Market,†which gives him a 35 percent chance to be Republican presidential nominee in 2012. Mitt Romney comes in second with a 27.8 percent chance. Michele Bachmann has a 9 percent chance.
Nate Silver comments on his FiveThirtyEight blog at The New York Times:
Food assistance programs fight food insecurity and obesity
Food insecurity is a cruel reality for thousands of our neighbors, friends and families. It is not confined to one city or one county, one side of the country or the other. And it most certainly does not stop at the border of my state, Ohio. But something happens to awareness of that need when it reaches the Potomac River and our nation’s capital.
Dodd-Frank fails to live up to promises
One year ago last week, and in response to the financial crisis, the President signed the 849-page Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. While legislative changes were certainly necessary in response to the financial crisis, Dodd-Frank generally hasn’t lived up to its promises of strengthening the financial sector, promoting economic recovery and job growth, protecting consumers and permanently ending taxpayer bailouts of private institutions.
How do you solve a problem like North Korea?
There are three things to remember about North Korea:
Never believe media reports about the “crazy†and “irrational†North Korean leader. Kim Jong-il might be bad and dangerous, but he is not mad.
North Korea is not about to get rid of its nuclear weapons, because they guarantee regime survival.
Any story about North Korea will invariably have the same headline (see above).
Remembering Officer Chestnut and Detective Gibson
As visitors walk through the Capitol for the first time, they eventually come across a plaque near one of the entrances on the East Front that memorializes an event which took place 13 years ago yesterday.
It was 13 years ago that Officer Jacob Joseph Chestnut and Detective John Michael Gibson made the ultimate sacrifice to protect all who were working and visiting the Capitol on that Friday afternoon.
Sanders: Would be 'good' for Obama to face primary challenge
One of the Senate's liberal stalwarts suggested over the weekend that President Obama could benefit from a primary challenger over the next year.Â
Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), an Independent who caucuses with Democrats, said it would be a "good idea" for Obama to face a primary challenger, if for nothing else than as a counterweight to Republican voices in the presidential debate.
Poll: 70 percent unhappy with economy, want incumbents replaced
The 2012 election could prove to be another voter referendum on Congress' handling of the economy, according to a new poll released Tuesday.
The new ABC News/Washington Post survey found that 70 percent of voters who are unhappy with the state of the economy are looking to replace incumbent members of Congress with someone new.
Voters are blaming both Republicans and Democrats for the slow recovery and difficulty finding jobs.
Dem leaders: GOP using 'vitriol' in debt debate by showing Affleck clip
Republicans "clearly meant" to foster a negative and vitriolic tone in the fight over raising the debt ceiling when they showed a clip from "The Town" at a conference meeting, Democratic leaders charged Wednesday.
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), the assistant Democratic leader, questioned the use of the clip from the Ben Affleck film, which includes a dialog between characters shortly before a violent assault.
Getting to yes!
Why is it so difficult to reach an agreement on something that everyone agrees to (well, aside from a few dozen Tea Party malcontents)?
It should not be that hard to realize the consequences of a U.S. default. It is not like this is new. There are clear disastrous ramifications if Congress deadlocks.
Let me start with a letter from the president of the United States to the majority leader of the U.S. Senate:
Durbin: Republicans afraid of primary challenges over debt vote
House Republicans are refusing to agree to a debt-ceiling increase deal with Democrats because they're afraid of facing a primary fight, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Tuesday.
"They're afraid of a primary fight," Durbin said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "They're afraid because they signed some tax pledge to some fellow here in Washington and if they somehow even talk about revenue, they'll end up with a primary fight they will lose. They don't want to face that."
The EPA's out-of-touch agenda
As the House debates and votes on appropriations for the Department of the Interior, much of the focus will be on the Environmental Protection Agency’s record. One thing is increasingly clear: what the Obama Administration has been unable to achieve through legislation, the EPA will enact through regulation.
The agency’s politicized agenda is sorely out of step with the American people and our national economic interests. The latest example is EPA’s waiver to allow 50 percent more ethanol in our fuel.
Caveat emptor!
The situation I set out below might seem imaginary to you, but it is stark reality for a group of Iranian exiles who trusted the U.S. and now are in danger of being slaughtered.Â
Imagine for a moment that you are a resident of Camp Ashraf in Iraq, one of some 3,400 defenseless Iranian dissidents who were classified as a “Protected Person†under the Fourth Geneva Convention by the United States in 2004 â€" only after numerous reviews by various U.S. intelligence and investigative bodies.
Agriculture matters: the new role of farm policy
I believe there to be a set of basic guiding principles that should direct Congress’s work on the Farm Bill.
Foremost, we must recognize that U.S. agriculture is an intricate component of our jobs, economy, and national security. Basing arguments and legislative proposals on pure emotion and skewed statistics is reckless and opens the door to both ill-advised policy and a litany of unintended consequences. I encourage my colleagues to put aside preconceived notions about farm policy and start with one basic idea: agriculture matters.
U.S. food and farm policies: a delicate balancing act
Policymaking is a question of balance -- balancing interests near and far, in the present and future, in the world as it is and the world as it should be. As members of Congress look toward the next farm bill, they must rebalance U.S. food and farm policies in ways that link agriculture with nutrition and health and that promote viable, sustainable livelihoods for all farmers -- both in the United States and in developing countries.
Policymakers face a disorienting environment since the last farm bill was authorized in 2008:
Spectrum: An idea we can agree on
Lawmakers are in the middle of a fiscal crisis where options for finding new revenues are divisive. Many agree that simplification of the tax code is an important step towards addressing the financial challenges â€" lowering rates, broadening the base and eliminating various credits and deductions â€" to increase revenues and support long-term economic growth.
There is another option that can be pursued right away where both Republicans and Democrats agree: making more spectrum available for the booming wireless market to help spur investment and lower the deficit without raising taxes.
The will of the people
The president's speech Monday night was typical of his entire presidency; he demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of fundamental economics and leadership.
Once again he implicated President Bush as the cause of all our economic problems. Once again he demonized the rich without acknowledging the fact that the leader of his own party, Harry Reid, put forth a plan that includes no increase in taxes on anyone. This is because Reid recognizes that the additional revenues that would be generated by increasing taxes on the rich wouldn't come close to solving the problem.
Stopping the shell game
What gets voters agitated when they talk about the federal budget?Â
Sure, voices rise over "spending like drunken sailors," while at the next moment voters howl over potential cuts to a host of government programs, most notably Medicare. Still, get past those now predictable, first blush comments and what you'll hear really bothering American voters is the distinct notion they have been conned. There's a real sense that while they were worried about carbs versus calories, and Macs versus PCs, a fast one got pulled on the American people and they may be stuck with the mess.
Intelligence failure in Libya
The killing of the Libyan rebel military commander, Gen. Abdul Fattah Younis, suspected of working for Moammar Gadhafi despite abandoning the Libyan leader in February, is an ominous and embarrassing development that raises further questions about the ill-prepared NATO intervention.
The haste with which the West has embraced the Transitional National Council (TNC), which now has access to frozen Gadhafi regime assets and is setting up embassies in London and Paris, is staggering considering that the rebels were an unknown quantity only months ago. The TNC was recognized by Washington last week as the legitimate government of Libya.
If Republicans oppose agreement, they will be putting politics first
Every day, people from across this great nation and around the globe come here â€" to the U.S. Capitol Building â€" to see the seat of American democracy.
Every day, those of us who are fortunate to have been elected by our home states to serve in Congress also come here to represent this nation and the American people in that democracy.
And every day, a brave and dedicated group of men and women come here to serve on the Capitol Police force, to ensure that whether we’re here to work or to visit we are safe from harm.
Billionaire assets
Money itself is inert, and like an idea, it has no value unless it is actively employed or exchanged to get work accomplished. And just like an idea can be good or bad, money can be used constructively or destructively.
Â
When money is used constructively, money creates or buys an asset. An asset is something that creates income, can appreciate in value, and sometimes allows for tax advantages like a piece of real estate or a business. I would add that the best assets to have are those that make you a return on your investment (i.e., puts money back in your pocket).
Van Hollen: Tea Party is in charge of House GOP
House Budget Committee ranking member Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said the Tea Party is controlling the House GOP and moderates must come together to reach a deal during an interview on MSNBC Saturday afternoon.
"In the House, clearly, you’ve got the very right-wing Tea Party Republicans are in charge. You’ve got the tail wagging the elephant," Van Hollen said.
"We saw that when they opposed the proposal their own speaker put on the floor."
Van Hollen expressed some optimism that moderate Republican Senators can reach a compromise to support Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's proposal, which he said incorporates all of the GOP's requests.
Sen. Bennet: Divided government is time to get big things done
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) said the current stalemate over the debt ceiling is an opportunity to address the medium-term fiscal health of the nation during an interview Saturday with Fox News.
Bennet said he supports Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) budget deal but thinks it will have trouble passing the Senate, let alone the House in its current form. But he appeared confident a compromise would be possible.
“Now is the time of divided government,†Bennet said. “This is the time to get big things done.â€
Bennet is pushing for the final deal to include some sort of trigger or enforcement mechanism on both taxes and cuts to ensure lawmakers revisit the issue of the growing deficit outside the context of the debt ceiling.
Bennet acknowledged the credit ratings agencies may still choose to downgrade the U.S. even after a deal is reached and said the recent partisan display in Washington
"There's nothing like waiting to the last minute to deal with the full faith and credit of the U.S.," Bennet said.
Sen. Shaheen: US default would be 'catastrophic'
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) warned the consequences of a U.S. default should Congress fail to pass deal to raise the debt ceiling by August 2nd could be devastating to the U.S. economy on MSNBC Saturday afternoon.
"The consequences are really catastrophic and it's hard to understand why we can't sit down in a room and everybody come to some sort of agreement," Shaheen said.
Shaheen said she shares the public's frustration with the current stalemate favors broad cuts to the budget, she but understands the time has come to set aside personal preferences and reach a compromise. She expressed hope Republicans would come to the same conclusion in time to avoid default.
"It's hard for me to understand how we can be at this point when most people who have looked at this issue understand the dire consequences that a default would have," Shaheen said, arguing a default by the U.S. would lead to higher interest rates not just for government but for mortgages, car payments, and credit cards.
Shaheen also repeated the Democrats' argument that any potential savings from budget cuts would be wiped out by the resulting increase in the cost of borrowing.
Sen. Shaheen: US default would be 'castastrophic'
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) warned the consequences of a U.S. default should Congress fail to pass deal to raise the debt ceiling by August 2nd could be devastating to the U.S. economy on MSNBC Saturday afternoon.
"The consequences are really catastrophic and it's hard to understand why we can't sit down in a room and everybody come to some sort of agreement," Shaheen said.
Shaheen said she shares the public's frustration with the current stalemate favors broad cuts to the budget, she but understands the time has come to set aside personal preferences and reach a compromise. She expressed hope Republicans would come to the same conclusion in time to avoid default.
"It's hard for me to understand how we can be at this point when most people who have looked at this issue understand the dire consequences that a default would have," Shaheen said, arguing a default by the U.S. would lead to higher interest rates not just for government but for mortgages, car payments, and credit cards.
Shaheen also repeated the Democrats' argument that any potential savings from budget cuts would be wiped out by the resulting increase in the cost of borrowing.
Ads to urge bipartisanship on debt ceiling crisis
The nonpartisan "No Labels" organization plans to run ads Monday on Washington-area networks urging lawmakers to stop bickering and compromise now to avert a national debt default.
"We are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents," the ads will say. "But above all we are Americans. We deplore that extreme partisan politics has trumped our patriotic duty. We have one word for our elected officials: Enough."
The ads reflect the growing concern among many Americans that elected officials are putting electoral politics ahead of the national interest. After weeks of impasse, Congress' approval rating is at all t! ime low of 6 percent, while 85 percent of polled voters think lawmakers are more interested in their careers than in helping others, according to Rasmussen.
"Hyper-partisan politics and ideological rigidity have brought us to the brink of financial disaster," No Labels co-founder Dave Walker said in a statement announcing the ads. "The United States of America is now within a few days of defaulting on its obligations. There's no excuse for this. America deserves better from its elected officials."
Dem takes up McCain's 'Tea Party Hobbits' criticism
McDermott tweeted: "@SenJohnMcCain, what your favorite Lord of the Rings book?" [sic]
On Wednesday, McCain criticized some members of the Republican party for not supporting House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) deficit plan with a Lord of the Rings reference.
VIDEOS: Lawmakers reach out to voters
President Obama called on voters twice this week to pressure lawmakers to reach a deal on raising the debt ceiling. But lawmakers aren't just waiting to hear from their constituents.
In addition to interviews and television appearances, members of Congress have reached out to explain their positions on the debt crisis by posting videos online. Some used their weekly podcasts to discuss the debt debate and others added additional videos to express their views and concerns.
With the Aug. 2 deadline days away Senate Democratic and Republican leaders are holding intense discussions to come up with a bipartisan solution for raising the debt ceiling.
Late Friday, the House narrowly passed legislation authorizing a limited increase in the $14.3 trillion debt limit in exchange for more than $900 billion in spending cuts. The plan introduced by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) was quickly halted by the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has introduced a plan that would cut $2.4 trillion in spending, but that plan is expected to be killed by the House on Saturday.
Click through to watch lawmakers make their case to the public.
The solid science behind E15
For more than two decades, we have been in almost continual combat operations in the Middle East over access to foreign oil. More than 40 percent of the foreign oil we import comes from nations that national security experts rank as “hostile†to U.S. interests.
Our national addiction to foreign oil has cost the lives of thousands of U.S. service men and women, and cost taxpayers trillions of dollars. A peer-reviewed study published by the journal Energy Policy calculated that taxpayers have paid more than $7.3 trillion over the last 30 years for our military to defend access to Middle Eastern oil. That’s a staggering $225 billion annually.
Freedom to marry's changed political equation
Last week, at the first-ever congressional hearing on the repeal of the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act†(DOMA), some of the more interesting statements given in favor of the freedom to marry for same-sex couples came from Senators who, 15 years ago, voted in favor of DOMA.  Â
Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) quoted Abraham Lincoln who, when challenged for changing his mind on a question, replied, “I’d rather be right some of the time than wrong all of the time.†Even Bob Barr, the Republican congressman who wrote DOMA in 1996, and Bill Clinton, the Democratic president who signed it, today support DOMA repeal and the freedom to marry.
Save America from economic disaster
I strongly suggest we extend the Aug. 2 deadline, preferably announcing the intention safely before markets close; we are playing with nuclear fire right now, and this cannot be done properly in three days.
If deadline is extended, I suggest POTUS be scheduled to address a joint session of Congress or a joint bicameral caucus mid to late next week. Have negotiations prior to the address; either announce success or give a Lincolnesque speech offering a specific solution that ignores the Tea Party and asks everyone else to agree.
'Lost' actor's day on the Hill, as told by Twitter
Actor Ian Somerhalder made it off the small screen and onto Capitol Hill on Thursday to testify at a hearing.
Somerhalder, best known for his role on the TV series "Lost," appeared on the Hill Thursday to testify about the plight of endangered species before a subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee.
Somerhalder, who founded an eponymous foundation in 2010 focused on protecting animals and the environment, tweeted his excitement all day Thursday.
"I'm about to testify in Congress for our most threatened species!" he tweeted.
Clyburn dares Tea Party to try impeaching Obama
Rep. James Clyburn, the third-ranking House Democrat, on Wednesday dared Tea Party colleagues in Congress to bring threats to impeach the president to the House floor.
"I would love to see that speech," Clyburn (D-S.C.) said on MSNBC.
Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) has said that the president invoking the 14th Amendment to raise the debt ceiling would be "an impeachable act," but Clyburn said he'd love to debate that idea on the floor.
"I want you to vote for impeachment of this president because he refused to let this country go into default," Clyburn said he would tell Tea Party Republicans.
Time to reduce and reform federal farm spending
As Congress wrestles with just how to cut federal spending, one prime candidate should be inefficient and antiquated farm subsidies. We should replace the current system that provides federal money only to a handful of crop farmers with a reliable risk management tool for all farmers.
In two farm bill debates in the last decade, I have proposed legislation that would both save taxpayers billions of dollars and protect all of America's farmers and ranchers in times of need. My Farm, Ranch, Equity, Stewardship, and Health (FRESH) Act would have established a revenue insurance program for all farmers regardless of what they produce or where they farm.
Eating their own
No matter what happens to House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) effort to pass his bill through the House, the fight to bring conservatives on board for a debt-ceiling increase will be remembered as the moment when the top blew right off the boiling hot kettle of long-simmering tension between Tea Party purists and the old guard. This week the fight broke out into the spotlight from behind closed doors and Republicans began to eat their own again with gusto. It's angry and on the record. And Boehner's warning to holdouts in the House GOP to "get your ass in line" or House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's (R-Va.) order to "quit whining," earlier this week weren't even the beginning of it.
Congressional aide pleads not guilty to money laundering
A longtime staff member of Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) has pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering as well as mail and electronic fraud.
Mikel Jones has served as a congressional aide to Hastings for more than 10 years and has simultaneously run his own law firm.
In a federal indictment, prosecutors accused Jones of taking a $150,000 investment from Minority Venture Partners (MVP), a venture capital firm that makes investments in and loans to minority-owned companies.
Jones said he was planning to use the money to expand and better his law firm, according to the indictment.
“Instead, defendant Jones transferred the MVP funds to his and his wife’s personal bank accounts and used the funds to pay his personal expenses, including for groceries, personal trips, and various sports tickets,†the indictment reads.
Ron Paul calls for a crash, Mitt Romney disappears, Rick Perry combs his hair
We are witnessing the brand destruction of the Tea Party House members that will probably bring back Speaker Pelosi, turn Ron Paul into a virtual political crank and occasion the complete disappearance of Mitt Romney (who has zero to say about the great issue that threatens a crash) and the lightweight maneuvering of Rick Perry, the latest neocon hope of a desperate GOP.
I am most disappointed in Paul, who could have been a contender, but is turning out to be a quitter of an important subcommittee chairmanship and a crank who campaigns for default. Bachmann doesn't surprise me, but Paul does. Methinks Dr. Paul has been on television too much. It is going to his head; he gets weirder every day. Perhaps if he causes a crash, his small donors will need their money back to pay their bills.
We can do better: conservative unity vital in debt ceiling debate
The weeklong back-and-forth over Speaker Boehner’s debt ceiling plan has turned Washington into a spectacle once again. For most of this year, the House of Representatives has had the intellectual high ground in Washington. This week the House leadership decided to abandon it in the name of compromise with a President who has never put forth a plan and a Senate that has never passed a plan.
The House passed a budget in April which addresses America’s out-of-control spending and would save Medicare for future generations. The House passed the Cut, Cap and Balance Act with unified Republican support in both houses, which is the only plan on the table that would save America’s AAA rating. The House has not been the unwilling dance partner to tackle America’s debt and save the American dream. The President and Senate have been.
Freshman Rep. Scott hosting town-hall series for presidential candidates
Freshman Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) will launch a series of town-hall meetings next month for Republican presidential candidates, he said Friday.
Scott, a conservative freshman who is a member of the GOP leadership team, will first host former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) at an Aug. 7 meeting at Charles Towne Landing in the Palmetto State.
The series is meant to help the state's voters vet the GOP presidential candidates ahead of the South Carolina primary next year, one of the earliest and most influential nominating contests of the 2012 cycle.
“South Carolina has chosen every Republican nominee since Ronald Reagan in 1980, and 2012 will be no different,†Scott said in a statement. “Our country cannot take four more years of President Obama. This year, it is more important than ever before that Republicans choose the right candidate, so that we can restore conservative values to the White House and get our country back on track.â€
Freshman Rep. Scott hosting town hall series for presidential candidates
Freshman Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) will launch a series of town hall meetings next month for Republican presidential candidates, he said Friday.
Scott, a conservative freshman who is a member of the GOP leadership team, will first host former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) at an August 7 meeting at Charles Towne Landing in the Palmetto State.
The series is meant to help the state's voters vet the GOP presidential candidates ahead of the South Carolina primary next year, one of the earliest and most influential nominating contests of the 2012 cycle.
“South Carolina has chosen every Republican nominee since Ronald Reagan in 1980, and 2012 will be no different,†Scott said in a statement. “Our country cannot take four more years of President Obama. This year, it is more important than ever before that Republicans choose the right candidate, so that we can restore conservative values to the White House and get our country back on track.†!
Debt and immigration
Anders Breivik’s rampage in Norway last week has intensified scrutiny of the EU’s attitude toward immigration. Many Europeans are increasingly vocal in declaring multiculturalism a failure and complaining that immigrants exploit their generous welfare systems without attempting to assimilate.
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America’s also in the midst of an important immigration debate â€" but one that is mind-boggling compared to the one taking place across the pond. While we debate incessantly about how to stop illegal immigration, we barely talk about how to ensure that we continue to attract the world’s best: the brightest students, the most productive researchers and the most innovative entrepreneurs. At a time when our leaders can’t seem to agree on anything, one would think policies to bring and keep such talent here would earn nonpartisan support (there are some who joke that we should staple a green card to the visa of every immigrant who graduates from an American colleg! e or university).
Rep. West: Tea Party groups 'schizophrenic' in their support
Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) says the back-and-forth accusations coming from the debt standoff won't affect his decision-making.
West said that neither Tea Party groups nor Democrats would make him change his plan to vote for Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) deficit plan. At least one Tea Party faction threatened to find a primary challenger for West because of his support for the Speaker.
"One minute they're saying I'm their Tea Party hero, and three, four days later I'm a Tea Party defector; that kind of schizophrenia I'm not going to get involved in it," West said on conservative Laura Ingraham's radio show.
Tom Trento, an organizer for the Tea Party National Convention who is involved in the leadership of two Tea Party groups, said, "The explanation to that schizophrenia is simple ... the focus is on the principle." Speaking of West, he said, "The individual representing that principle changed. The focus is on the principle. That's not schi! zophrenic."
Women would suffer most from congressional budget cuts
Women across America should ask themselves one question: Â Why is Congress determined to destroy my economic future? Â Why is the Republican plan to solve the nation's debt and deficit crisis going to push me closer to poverty in my older years?
The "Roadmap to Prosperity" designed by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and endorsed by virtually all House Republicans would place an immense and disproportionate load on the already overburdened shoulders of millions of older women. It is a "Roadmap to Poverty."  But the Ryan plan was superseded by the bipartisan “Gang of Six†plan that includes changing Social Security.  The plan put forth by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) cuts America’s safety net even further.
While all of this is taking place, few members of Congress, very few, are talking or focusing on what impact will the budget cuts have on women regardless if they work in or outside the home? Â While the potential for greater economic uncertainty! and pain is almost a foregone conclusion, the reality is this: women will be recipients of economic terrorism by Tea Party Republicans.
Sen. Kerry calls conservative House Republicans 'small group of absolutists'
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) slammed the conservative wing of the Republican Party as "a small group of absolutists" and "extremists" who are ignoring history "if they ever knew it."
"You know, the Chinese are looking at us right now and they are just gleeful and incredulous at the way in which one of their great competitors is imploding in itself, and it's happening because a small group of absolutists, of extremists, who don't understand the implications even of what they're doing, are prepared to hold the nation's entire economy hostage," Kerry said Friday on MSNBC.
"I mean they're acting as if they think they're the only ones that understand that America has a debt problem," Kerry continued.
Kerry said conservative House Republicans were coming into debt-ceiling negotiations with a large amount of "absolutism."
"They have forgotten history if they ever knew it," Kerry said. "They're forgetting that we did this at a time and c! reated the greatest wealth in American history and we didn't savage those things that are going to produce the jobs of the future of America. What I'm afraid they're doing is coming in with such zeal and absolutism, they're going to eat American's seed corn with some of these cuts."
He also said House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) was negotiating more with conservative Republicans than Democrats to keep his Speakership.
"And Speaker Boehner is negotiating, not with Democrats, but he's negotiating within his own party in order to be able to basically hold on to the leadership and satisfy that fringe," Kerry said.
On Friday Boehner modified his debt-ceiling increase proposal with provisions for a balanced-budget amendment (which conservative House Republicans had been calling for) in order to win support in his caucus. On Thursday his bill failed to win enough Republican votes to pass the House.
Besides Kerry, Sen. Lisa Murkowski! (R-Alaska) also used the word "absolutist" in charging that c! onservat ive Republicans had had a negative effect in debt-ceiling increase negotiations.
"You have folks who are so black-and-white, who are so absolutist, that we are in a process now where we are on the brink,†Murkowski told Bloomberg News on Friday.
Obama's approval rating hits all-time low in Gallup tracking poll
President Obama's approval rating hit an all-time low Friday in the Gallup Poll's rolling average of his favorability numbers.
Forty percent of Americans said they approve of the way Obama his handling his job, eclipsing the previous low of 41 percent that the president had hit twice before during his administration.
Gallup, which keeps track of Obama's daily, rolling approval rating, found that Obama's job performance number had ticked downward in the last few days of polling. Obama's approval rating marks a tumble from his most recent high, a 50 percent approval r! ating on June 7.
That's a discouraging number for Obama, and comes amid the summer doldrums that include his protracted fight with Congress over how and whether to increase the nation's debt limit. A Pew poll this week found Obama leading a generic Republican candidate by one point, 41-40 percent, among registered voters.
The poll, conducted July 26-28, has a 3 percent margin of error.
Sen. Kyl: 'Conservatives are not in charge'
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) warned that conservative Republicans shouldn't expect to get exactly what they want on a compromise in a deficit-reduction and debt-ceiling-increase package.
"My Tea Party friends I’m sure appreciate this, but we have to keep reminding ourselves, we don’t control the government. Conservatives are not in charge," Kyl said Friday on Fox News. "And therefore we are not going to get exactly what we want; we have to craft something that leads us in the right direction."
Kyl said the question for Republicans is what kind of bill they can entice Democrats to agree to.
"We can’t dictate the result. Republicans only control the House of Representatives, and twice now they’ve passed something to the Senate and the Senate has said no," Kyl said. "The question is what can be crafted that Senate Democrats will say yes to, because they are half of the legislative equation here."
Kyl's comments come as House Re! publicans and Senate Democrats race to raise the debt ceiling ahead of the Aug. 2 deadline when the Treasury Department projects the U.S. would otherwise default on its loans. Thus far, though, both chambers have been at odds about what should be in a debt-ceiling increase bill.
In the same interview, Kyl said he's less optimistic about Congress extending the debt ceiling because of "absolute intransigence" by Senate Democrats.
"My gut tells me that we are in a different position than we were even a week ago, where I was very optimistic that we would avoid the Aug. 2 problem," Kyl said. "I am less certain of that now, because there seems to be absolute intransigence on the Senate Democrat side."
Hoyer: Bitter fight over healthcare law has made debt deal harder
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said lingering bitterness over how Democrats passed the healthcare reform law has made Republicans resistant to compromise on the debt ceiling.
Hoyer, speaking on CNBC, said he thought part of the reason Republicans have refused to compromise with Democrats on the debt-ceiling package was because of how House Democrats pushed through the Obama administration's healthcare law.
"I think that's accurate," Hoyer said Friday. "I don't think healthcare was handled the way it should've been, but let me tell you why: There was an openness to compromise, but the Republicans said, 'Look, we don't like your plan, we're not going to go there at all,' " Hoyer said.
"It was no, no, no, 100 percent [from Republicans], so there was no attempt to bipartisan participation," Hoyer said.
Hoyer said some Democrats have been frustrated with how quick their colleagues and the White House have been to concede t! o Republicans in negotiations on a compromise deal.
"An awful lot of people on our side of the aisle think the president and the Democrats have gone way too far toward the Republicans already," Hoyer said. "So we keep moving every day, every week, every month and we don't get there. The Republicans walk out of the room."
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) tried to pass his debt-ceiling increase proposal through the House on Thursday but failed to win enough Republican votes to push it through without support from Democrats. GOP leaders hope to try again on Friday.Â
Watch Hoyer below.
SC Gov. Haley takes hands-off approach to House debt fight
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) has sat back during the high-stakes fight in Congress over whether to raise the debt ceiling.
Haley, the conservative rock star, hasn't taken an active role in pressing members of the state's delegation one way or the other on the plan put forth by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), on which Republicans are hoping to vote Friday.
The governor's office said it wasn't aware of any contact between Haley and members of the congressional delegation, which has developed into a key bloc of votes, especially in the House, in determining the fate of the Boehner plan.
And several offices of Republican members of the South Carolina delegation said they haven't heard anything from Haley, either, beyond the op-ed she co-authored with Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) i! n support of the "cut, cap and balance" plan pushed by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).
It's not as though Haley's been afraid of staking out a position on national issues, but she's been careful in how she engages.
That said, a number of other conservative governors â€" including GOP heavyweights â€" have been willing to stake out a position on the Boehner plan. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R), both erstwhile presidential candidates, have endorsed the Boehner plan.
South Carolina is particularly vulnerable, though, to economic harm if the government defaults on its debt because no deal is reached by Aug. 2. Moody's, one of the major ratings agencies, placed the state's bonds on a watch list for risk ! of downg rade if the federal government doesn't reach a deal. Haley met this week with officials from the ratings agency.
All members of the South Carolina delegation have held firm against the Boehner plan so far, but that could change Friday after the tweaks made overnight by members of the Republican leadership to make it more palatable.
"I think we made progress last night," Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) said Friday morning on CNN, who predicted passage today. Gowdy did not say, though, that he had changed his vote at all.
MORNING VIDEOS: Awaiting vote on Boehner's plan
On the morning after the House Republican leadership postponed a vote on House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) deficit-reduction proposal, lawmakers continued to debate the bill's merits. But as the deadline to reach an agreement neared, more lawmakers were voicing concerns about the effect the ongoing negotiations are having on the US economy.
Thursday evening, Boehner failed to win enough Republican votes to push his bill through the House without support from Democrats. GOP leaders hope to try again today.
Watch below for a round-up of this morning's videos.
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, said he hopes the House can pass a debt deal today, but admires the new Republican members for sticking by their principles.
Sessions said he believes that most people in Congress will now be willing to accept less than they had hoped for to avoid a crisis situation. He criticized Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and President Obama for not having put forth a budget plan that could have helped avoid the stalemate.
"At the last minute, as I predicted, we'll have all kinds of complex legislation and wheeling and dealing in an attempt to avoid a crisis and we should have dealt with it weeks, months ago."
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Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told MSNBC's Morning Joe that he! felt compelled to go on the Senate floor and apologize to his! constit uents for the "fiasco" they witnessed. He called on President Obama to get more involved with Congress on reaching an agreement.
He said he would prefer a hybrid plan that extends the debt ceiling and guarantees a vote within 90 days to allow time to come up with a comprehensive solution.
"If you think that this has been a fiasco now, and you want us to go through this 6 months from now, you ain't seen nothing yet."
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Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) said the Boehner bill is not perfect, but is a "step in the right direction." Qualye said over the last few days he decided that the Boehner proposal is the best approach right now. He told CNBC that he hopes it can garner enough votes in the House today.
He raised concerns that Democrats are actively working against the bill in the House and politics are taking precedent over reaching a compromise.
"It's a small incremental step that we're going to be taking with the Boehner bill. I think it's going to pass. I support it. Hopefully we can get to the vote today"
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) released a video Friday urging more Republicans in the House to pass the Boehner bill. He said it goes further than any other legislation in history in cutting spending. He emphasized practicality, saying Republicans need to recognize they only control the House.
"Considering the odds against us we've made great strides", said King. He added "we can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."
"I am voting for this legislation because we can not allow the government to default and we also have to pay our bills, if not the economic consequences will be catastrophic."
Sen. Harkin: Nothing prevents Obama from using 14th Amendment
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) on Friday ramped up growing Democratic pressure on the White House to consider invoking the Fourteenth Amendment to raise the debt ceiling.
"Is there anything that prohibits him from doing that? The answer is no," Harkin said. The White House has been going about the idea the wrong way by asking whether the amendment legally gives the president the power to raise the debt ceiling without Congressional authority, according to Harkin.
Although President Obama indicated last week that his lawyers had looked into the legality of the so-called “Fourteenth Amendment solution,†he said they were “not persuaded that that is a winning argument.â€
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney also made it clear in a briefing on Tuesday that the option was not on the table. “The Constitution makes clear that Congress has the authority -- not the president -- to borrow money,†Carney said. “And only Congress can increase! the statutory debt ceiling. That’s just a reality.â€
But Harkin called it “nuts†for the White House to indicate they would not consider the option. “It should be on the table," he said on the liberal Bill Press’s radio show.
Harkin is not the only one pushing for the president to step in as negotiations over the debt ceiling seem to remain deadlocked between Republicans and Democrats in Congress and the Treasury Department’s Aug. 2 deadline nears.
Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have also indicated that the president should look seriously into the legality of invoking the Fourteenth Amendment.
Most of the pressure is coming from the House side, with Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn (S.C.) and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) discussing the amendment as a possible solution with increasing urgency the closer Congress gets to the deadline without much v! isible progress.
Harkin said he has spoken to top p! eople at the White House about the possibility. “I think [Obama] knows my feelings on that.â€
"I think this is one time where it's very clear the president can invoke the 14th amendment,†he said, arguing that it would not be without precedent.
Harkin compared the idea to former President Lincoln making the Emancipation Proclamation, an example Clyburn used as well, or former President Franklin Roosevelt’s Lend-Lease program which allowed the U.S. to support Allied nations before declaring war in 1941.
Republicans have warned they would take the president to court if he tried invoking the amendment over the debt ceiling. "I think he wins" in a court challenge, Harkin said.
"I think the American people would stand up and applaud a president who had the guts and the courage to stand up and make sure the political battles don't tear this country apart,†he said. “I think the Tea Party will probably go nuts, but what the heck, they'! re already nuts anyway.â€
Harkin added that the majority of moderates on both the Republican and Democrat side would probably “silently applaud†Obama for the decision, as well. “They don't want to vote on raising the debt ceiling anyway.â€
Third Manassas: Obamaâs war on America
The greatest bungle in the debt-crisis debate was on July 19, when, as NPR reported: “Former President Bill Clinton said if faced with default, he would single-handedly raise the debt ceiling using the 14th Amendment and he’d do it ‘without hesitation.’ â€
The boorishness and bluff of the language calls to mind Bull Connor in the Civil Rights days, but this from a laconic, Big Hair Southern governor with 50 gold watches and a string of mistresses who so wanted to be a New Yorker; a kind of Simon Legree in reverse. Since, a garden variety of prominent Democrats like House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (Calif.) have called for the 14th Amendment, and Obama himself preposterously said that he was “tempted†to solve the debt crisis that way. Dictatorship is always the temptation and should reveal the illusion of representative government with these people. Obama would be facing reelection under impeachment, so it is not likely ! to happen.
Reid deficit proposal gains AARP endorsement
The powerful seniors' group AARP sent a letter to the Senate on Thursday endorsing the Democrats' Budget Control Act, introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) earlier this week.
"This plan would resolve the current debt ceiling crisis which has created great anxiety among our members," the letter reads, citing the plan's hands-off policy toward Social Security and Medicare.
Both Social Security and Medicare have been sticking points in the deficit debate. Republicans pushed for entitlement reforms as part of an original "grand bargain" on reducing the deficit and raising the debt ceiling. President Obama reportedly considered entitlement reforms as part of deficit negotiations. However, liberal Democrats, particularly in the House, pushed back, warning the president that they would not agree to any cuts to the big three entitlements Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
Make the promise: Protect clean air for our kids
This week Congress is likely to take up a spending bill that would limit the EPA’s ability to enforce clean air standards that protect us from air pollution. At the same time, I’ll be joining the League of Women Voters in launching the Clean Air Promise campaign â€" an effort to bring the coordinated assault on the clean air act to the attention to parents, families, communities and our leaders and ask them to promise to protect clean air.Â
I’m supporting this effort for my son Tommy and the hundreds of thousands of other kids across the country suffering through asthma attacks triggered by air pollution.
GOP delays vote on Boehner bill
House Republicans have postponed until Thursday a vote on Speaker John Boehner’s deficit reduction bill while party leaders seek to rewrite it.
The decision follows an estimate by the Congressional Budget Office finding that the legislation achieved less in budget savings than Boehner had first claimed.
The CBO said the bill would cut the deficit by $850 billion over 10 years, not $1.2 trillion, and it threatened Boehner’s pledge for spending cuts to exceed any increase in the debt ceiling. The bill would authorize $900 billion in additional borrowing initially.
GOP leaders were already having trouble cobbling together to pass the bill amid opposition from conservatives.
Dodd-Frankâs silver lining: Director education
Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act, often referred to as the most far-reaching reform of the financial services industry since the Great Depression.  While this legislation has indeed profoundly impacted the financial services industry, its impact on our nation’s corporations and corporate boards has received considerably less attention, though it is equally important.
Over the past year, much has been said about the impact that Dodd-Frank will have on banks and other financial institutions, but the legislation goes far beyond Wall Street, bringing us mandates for say on pay, bounties for whistleblowers, and the likely advent of proxy access.Â
Inflatable rats and regulatory tsunamis: Just another day at the NLRB
Last week the National Labor Relations Board held historic public hearings - the first in three decades -- on its proposed new rule on union certification elections. The rule, designed to streamline cumbersome administrative practices and eliminate excessive election delays, was roundly criticized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, various anti-union organizations, and representatives from several of the nation's largest "union avoidance" law firms.
How do their arguments against the new rule and in favor of the status quo - under which anti-union employers can delay elections for several months -- stand up to scrutiny? Not well, as illustrated by ten examples below from the two-day hearings.
Crop insurance protects farmers from uncertainty
As Congress works to rein in wasteful government spending and balance the federal budget, we are also preparing to write the 2012 farm bill. The farm bill sets the nation’s long-term agricultural and food policies and the priorities for funding of farm and nutrition programs, including food stamps and school lunch programs, for the next five years. Â
Agriculture is Ohio’s top industry with more than 75,000 farms that contribute over $93 billion to the state’s economy. The health of our rural infrastructure it is vital to securing not only Ohio’s financial future, but that of our nation. The economic impact of American agriculture is enormous and securing the longevity of our farmland safeguards America’s economic prosperity. Â
The SAFE Data Act does not ensure data security
Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade held a markup on H.R. 2577, the SAFE Data Act. Â
Unfortunately, the name of the bill is quite deceiving. Passage of the bill will not make consumer data safer. Instead, it preempts important state laws in this area and leaves a weak federal one in their place.
This bill does not even address the recent data breaches at Sony and Epsilon, the very data breaches that prompted the Committee to act in the first place. Both of those breaches involved email addresses; H.R. 2577 does not require companies to secure consumers’ email addresses or to inform them if they’re taken by hackers.
Jobs and the American dream movement
The debate over deficit reduction and the debt ceiling has taken on a theatrical air; the game itself, and its winners and losers, have become more important than the impact of any deal.  This is why you rarely heard the word “jobs†during this debate.  There is a political reason for the silence: the news is not good for American workers.
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, a deal that reduces the deficit by $2 trillion over the next 10 years could cost the economy more than one million jobs during the next three years. And a recent CBS News poll showed that voters want political leaders to focus on jobs and the economy over long-term budget deficits by a 4-1 margin.
Fiscal obstacles should not deter museum funding
The Smithsonian Institution is truly one of our national treasures. Through its 19 museums and galleries, numerous research facilities and programs and internationally renowned National Zoo, the Smithsonian has left an indelible mark on our nation for generations. It has served as a steward of our national history and, through its unparalleled ability to create and leverage private and public partnerships, done so in a way that has generated significant savings of taxpayer resources.
In 2003, Congress enacted the authorizing legislation to establish the National Museum of African American History and Culture, within the Smithsonian Institution. This facility will serve as a testament to the tremendous contributions made by African Americans and the role that they have played in the history of our nation.Â
Serious innovation from the VA
Over the last two years or so, the Department of Veterans Affairs has been doing some seriously innovative work on behalf of the troops. I've seen this firsthand, focusing on efforts like working at the grassroots worker level and with private-industry vendors. This really does serve vets better, and looks like taxpayers get better return for tax dollars.
VA is also using social media to help vets understand how VA can help, in forms including the VA blog and outreach via social media including Facebook.
Numbers, numbers - what do they really mean?
Americans today are surrounded by a cloud of confusing numbers on the economy and the federal budget. But what do the numbers really mean? What do they describe? How are they related to the debt ceiling crisis? Below are some of the more frequently mentioned figures â€" from the astronomical to the pedestrian â€" and a brief explanation of their background and ramifications.
$4.5 trillion: The total value of Treasury bonds held by China, Japan, Brazil, Iran and other nations. As economists Stephen Moore and David Malpass have pointed out, this is money that foreigners are not investing in the next Google, Oracle, Wal Mart or bio-medical company here in the U.S. Instead, this investment is financing Medicaid, unemployment insurance, and other federal government programs.
Congress must address employment-based green card backlog
As a legal immigrant trapped in a Green Card backlog that may affect more than 500,000 immigrants and American businesses, I have seen firsthand the need for Congress to clear this backlog to maintain our nation’s economic competitiveness.
Every year, only 140,000 Green Cards are available for highly-skilled immigrant employees sponsored by a U.S. employer. Despite the critical role these legal immigrants play with respect to innovation, entrepreneurship and domestic job creation, the employment-based Green Card system represents only 16 percent of all Green Cards issued every fiscal year. Within this annual cap exists a seven percent country limit, which provides the same number of Green Cards to immigrants from India, one of the world’s most populous countries, as Iceland, one of the world’s smallest nations.
Staff trash talk on Twitter: 'Bill dies tonight' vs. 'Save the planet caucus'
The debt-and-deficit-standoff that has paralyzed Washington for weeks has also turned up the volume on political sniping.
That crossed from cable television to Twitter on Thursday as bickering ramped up between Democratic and Republican staffers while the House waited for a vote on Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) deficit proposal.
Adam Jentleson, communications director for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), attracted some attention with an ominous warning early in the day.
“Boehner’s bill dies tonight,†he tweeted. “Forever.â€
Boehner and the Republican leadership were scrambling for votes on a bill addressing the deficit crisis that has split the Republicans and earned unanimous Democratic opposition.
MORNING VIDEOS: Boehner plan faces scrutiny as deadline nears
Lawmakers were out again Thursday morning pitching their views on the debt-ceiling debate. Politicians on both sides of the aisle weighed in on the upcoming House vote for Speaker John Boehner's proposal. A vote is expected this evening after U.S. financial markets close.
While some have expressed support for the bill, others like Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) and presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said they could not vote for the plan.
Some Republicans criticized the Aug. 2 deadline, saying it could be a false deadline. And many Democrats called for the debt-ceiling increase to be separate from the deficit debate, raising concerns over a possible default.Â
Food and farm bill benefits everyone
With my background as a family farmer in Iowa, I make it my business to give voice in Washington to rural America and the family farmers and independent livestock producers who feed and fuel the world. Sound stewardship and rich natural resources have allowed these farmers to help stop hunger and provide food security for the United States.
As debate begins on the 2012 farm bill, there's no question agriculture and nutrition will need to take some budget cuts. Budget considerations are already being taken. These programs shouldn't be asked to take cuts that are proportionally greater than what other programs across the federal government are asked to do. Budget negotiators must take into consideration the valuable role of agriculture in the economy and the vital need for a safe and stable food supply.
Farmers ready for Agriculture Committeeâs tough decisions
As a farmer, I’m no stranger to the difficult decisions that come with wearing two hats. I’m used to early hours in the field and long nights with the checkbook and ledgers. That’s part of the reason that I feel at home in both the Budget and Agriculture Committees. With a voice in each, I’ve been able to sensibly pursue my primary objective here in Washington: cutting run-away government spending.
It doesn’t take an economist to figure out that Washington has a spending problem. Think of a family that brings home $2,000 a month. If they spend $3,600 each month, they’ll quickly go bankrupt. Few of us in our daily lives would be so reckless. But that’s exactly the policy that Washington has chosen. In this year alone, the federal government spent over $3.6 trillion but only took in around $2.2 trillion in revenues. That’s a deficit of $1.4 trillion. Every farmer or small business owner in America knows that this isn’t going to work. Something has go! t to change.Â
Boehner says no 'retribution' for dissenting conservative Rep. Jordan
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he's hoping to work with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) "for many years to come" in Congress.
Boehner released a statement ostensibly shooting down a Columbus Dispatch story that said the Speaker's allies were targeting Jordan, the head of the conservative Republican Study Committee (RSC), in the Ohio redistricting plan.
"Jim Jordan and I may not always agree on strategy, but we are friends and allies, and the word retribution is not in my vocabulary," Boehner said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing to serve with him in the U.S. House after the redistricting process in Ohio is complete, and for many years to come.â€
Jordan has clashed with Boehner and the GOP l! eadership team over the Speaker's plan to raise the debt ceiling, leading to reports of tension between the two Ohioans, who hail from neighboring districts. An RSC staffer was reportedly booed yesterday at a conference meeting for having allegedly consulted with conservative bloggers to whip votes against the debt-ceiling plan.
The Dispatch had reported that Boehner's political team had looked to target Jordan as a result, prompting Jordan to muse about it on Twitter:
I would be interested to hear your comments on this article, suggesting that my vote will result in my ... http://fb.me/Us8v7Hft
Most say coverage of Palin is either too easy or fair
More than half of Americans think the press has been either too easy or fair in its coverage of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), a new poll said Thursday.
A combined 54 percent of U.S. adults said the press had been too easy or fair toward Palin, according to a new Pew Research Center poll. Thirty-two percent said the press has been fair, and 22 percent say the press has been too easy on Palin, the potential GOP presidential candidate.
Palin's known for her animosity toward the press corps; she calls them the "lamestream media," and has taken to her website or Facebook page to dismiss occasionally negative or inaccurate press coverage of her activities.
Republicans and Republican-leaning Americans are more li! kely to perceive the coverage of Palin as too tough. Fifty-two percent of Republicans said the media are too tough, and 29 percent said the press is fair toward Palin.
Larger numbers of Americans say the coverage of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is fair. Forty-five percent called the coverage of Romney "fair," and 37 percent said Bachmann has received fair coverage.
The poll, conducted July 21-24, has a 3.5 percent margin of error.
Dem takes up McCainâs âTea Party Hobbitsâ criticism
Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) may be on opposite sides politically, but McDermott indicated Thursday that they both appreciate the fantasy series “Lord of the Rings.â€
McDermott tweeted: “@SenJohnMcCain, what your favorite Lord of the Rings book?
On Wednesday, McCain criticized some members of the Republican party for not supporting House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) deficit plan with a Lord of the Rings reference.
Group of GOP freshmen pledge support for Boehner's debt bill
More than two dozen Tea Party-backed Republican freshmen announced their support Thursday for the debt-limit plan offered by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).
Close to 30 of the 87-member freshman class, many of whom were leaning against Boehner's plan, told reporters they've decided to support it despite its imperfections.Â
{mosads}Standing shoulder-to-shoulder around a Speaker's lecturn steps from the House of Representatives, the freshmen took turns pledging their support for a plan they say is bipartisan.
"We believe this bill is bipartisan in its origins," Freshman Rep. Tim Griffin (R-Ark.) said. "I believe it will pass the House today, and it’s going to go over to the Senate, and I believe that once it gets over there, they’ll take a second look at it and realize that these are ideas of theirs that Sen. Reid was behind. I believe it can pass the Senate, and it represents what a lot of different people at the table want."Â
Alabama Rep. M! artha Roby (R) said their show of support was for the Speaker more than the substance of his "far from perfect" measure.
“We are here today to demonstrate our support for Speaker Boehner, because we believe it’s the right thing to do. Let’s be clear: the Boehner plan is far from perfect. If I had written it myself, it would look much different," Roby said.
GOP Leaders worked hard to win the support of members in the group, which included Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) and Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas.).
Glenn Beckâs religion and mine
Feiglin wrote: “The problem is not Beck's beliefs. He is a good person who believes in what he is doing. The problem is that the most loyal Jewish public is giving him its support without thoroughly checking his message. They are unwittingly abetting a very gentle and heartwarming type of modern crusade.â€
I'm delighted because the only other place this essay occurred outside of Israel was here in my blog at The Hill, and I am not a Jew. But I see Beck’s event in Israel as the height of blasphemy.
Romney facing greater scrutiny over silence on Boehner plan
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) finds himself facing greater scrutiny for not having staked out a position on House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) debt-ceiling plan, hours ahead of a planned vote on that proposal in the House.
Romney's assiduously avoided commenting directly on the proposal put forth by the Speaker, all while an increasing number of his competitors for the Republican presidential nomination have made their positions clear.
The campaign's putative frontrunner has said he "applauds" Boehner for his efforts to craft a plan to rein in spending. But that doesn't mean he supports it, per se.
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) have all said they oppose the Boehner plan; former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R) is the only candidate to endorse the proposal.
Romney's refusal to take a position on the plan hasn't escaped notice, either. Pawl! enty's campaign has put the pressure on Romney to say where he stands on the Boehner plan, and Democrats have gladly circulated press reports taking note of Romney's relative silence on the issue.
For what it's worth, the former Massachusetts governor's campaign has long said it didn't expect to telegraph its position on the day-to-day developments in the debt ceiling fight. When he's been asked, Romney's replied that he supports the "Cut, Cap and Balance" approach â€" a position embraced by other primary foes who have opposed the Boehner plan.
Boehner's plan, which calls for an immediate spending cuts and an extension of the debt limit, with a second possible extension next year, tied to further cuts recommended by a congressional panel, is set for a pivotal vote in the House late this afternoon.
Conservative activists had panned the proposal as insufficient, and the most stridently conservative voices have maintained that "Cut, Cap and! Balance" is the only appropriate approach.
But Bo! ehner an d the GOP leadership team in the House have worked conservative lawmakers, especially freshmen, hard over the past few days, working to tilt momentum in their favor ahead of this evening's vote.
A statement from a 'Tea Party hobbit'
One man in Washington, who chose Sarah Palin to be his VP running-mate and came to Nevada to campaign for me last year in the Senate race against Harry Reid, is now promoting attacks against Tea Party activists, ordinary American citizens, and fiscally conservative members of Congress â€" all of whom are adamantly opposed to continuing the deficit-spending strategies proposed by some congressional members and the president.
Ironically, this man campaigned for Tea Party support in his last re-election, but now throws Christine O’Donnell and I into the harbor with Sarah Palin. As in the fable, it is the hobbits who are the heroes and save the land. This Lord of the TARP actually ought to read to the end of the story and join forces with the Tea Party, not criticize it.Â
It is regrettable that a man seeking dialogue, action and cooperation for votes on the floor of the United States Senate has only one strategy to achieve that effort: name-calling.! Nice.
It is similarly unfortunate that Senator McCain brings no new ideas to the Senate floor. In fact, so unoriginal is Senator McCain’s effort that he is reduced to borrowing words from an editorial â€" rather than bringing anything constructive to this debate.
{mosads}While Senator McCain advocates raising the debt ceiling as a solution â€" world markets and credit rating industries propose to down-grade our credit worthiness, impacting the value of the U.S. dollar and the state of our economy because of our world-famous spending problem.
Senator McCain can continue on with his borrowed soliloquies, just as he can continue to vote to raise our nation’s debt ceiling â€" all in an effort to spend money that we don’t have, to fund programs and policies that don’t work, with a currency that continues to lose its value.
Meanwhile, we look forward to meeting members of Congress and the President at the polls in 2012… when ‘We the Peo! ple’ choose the names we call to serve us in Washington â€" and we will keep in mind those who supported increasing our nation’s mountain of debt, what could be called their very own Mount Doom.
Bachmann: Obama like 'dictator' if 14th amendment invoked in debt fight
President Obama would be functioning effectively as a "dictator" if he invoked the 14th amendment to the Constitution to unilaterally raise the debt ceiling, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said Thursday.
Bachmann assailed the possible use of an executive order by the president to authorize increased borrowing power, a tactic that's been encouraged by some congressional Democrats to defuse a stalemate in debt ceiling negotiations.
"Congress has the power to lay and collect taxes. It's Congress that does the spending," Bachmann said on CNN. "The president is prohibited to do that. If he had the power to do that he would effectively be a dictator."
That's the kind of strong charge that's made Bachmann a beloved figure on the right, but has also fueled some primary opponents' attacks against her. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R), for instance, accused Bachmann earlier this week of having a history of "saying things that are off the ma! rk."
Obama has said his administration has evaluated the possibility of using the 14th amendment to raise the debt limit, but that they're unconvinced such a maneuver would be upheld by courts.
The 14th amendment says, in part, that “the validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law ... shall not be questioned.†Some Democrats argue that those words empower the president to take unilateral action to protect the U.S. credit.
Already Republicans are goading against the possibility; Rep. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) suggested that invoking the 14th amendment would make for an impeachable offense.
"There would be n! o reason for Congress to even come to Washington, D.C.," Bachm! ann said of the possibility. "He would be making the spending decisions. He would be making the taxing decisions. Clearly that's unconstitutional."
Congress, please add sugar to your tea party
These are heartless times. Issues that should never be partisan, like helping the poorest of the poor survive, are falling to the wayside in the name of ensuring the top 1% of our wealthiest get to keep their disproportionately large tax cuts.
It is extraordinary to see how far we seem to have come down the road of self-interest. We know that there are many members of Congress, on both sides of the aisle, who understand and care about serving the long-term interests of the United States by tackling global poverty. Unfortunately, their voices are not being heard. Today, we witnessed the passage of a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations bill that eliminates even the relatively miniscule amounts of funding for such programs in the name of cutting our deficit. But this only puts many of our most vulnerable global citizens â€" women and children - at further risk.
Dem lawmaker: President will have to push for clean debt-ceiling vote
A Democratic lawmaker predicted that Congress will find itself in a stalemate on a deal to raise the debt ceiling and President Obama will have to step in and push for a clean debt-ceiling increase vote.
"I think we're gonna end up in a stalemate. I anticipate that the Boehner bill will get through the House today after he's pushed his folks kind of hard and then it'll be dead on arrival once it gets to the Senate and then I think the Senate will send something over and then I think the president will have to step in," Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) said Thursday on MSNBC. "And I think he's going to have to say basically, 'look guys, there doesn't seem to be an agreement here so basically let's sign this clean extension.'"
On Wednesday, House Democrats called on a vote for a clean debt-ceiling increase as an alternative to the competing plans by House Republicans and Senate Democrats and reduce the deficit, both of which, thusfar, seem to face significant obstacles to actually be signed into law.
Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) sponsored the clean vote bill which increases the debt limit by $2.4 trillion and does not include any of the deficit-reduction measures GOPers have been calling for in a limit increase. The bill has already won 100 cosponsors.
"We are concerned that these negotiations may not conclude by August 2," a letter by the House Democratic leadership urging for a clean debt vote says. "America is now on the doorstep of default. We cannot allow the failure of these negotiations to become America’s failure to pay its bills."
Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) released details of his revised debt-ceiling increase pro! posal which now cuts the deficit by $917 billion over the next! 10 year s and cuts $22 billion over the upcoming year.
"I'm hoping that cooler heads will come together and resolve this and I'm sure we will," Cummings said.