lame duck

17 Stories

Biden Makes First Public Comments Since Stepping Aside

Says he's 'not going anywhere,' will remain 'fully engaged'

(Newser) - President Biden says he's "determined to get as much done" as he possibly can in his final six months in the White House as he tries to beat back a defining force that his lame-duck predecessors struggled to vanquish: diminished relevance. "I'm still going to be...

McConnell on Lame-Duck SCOTUS Hearing: No Way

Senate majority leader isn't budging on Merrick Garland's nomination

(Newser) - The leader of the Republican-controlled Senate is ruling out the idea of considering President Obama's Supreme Court nominee after the November election, as one GOP colleague has suggested. "I can't imagine that a Republican majority Congress in a lame duck session after the American people have spoken...

Snubbed By GOP, Tea Partiers Still Mad as Hell

Activists upset their candidates not given more power in Congress

(Newser) - The 112th Congress hasn't even been sworn in yet, but Tea Partiers are already mad: They say legislators passed over their candidates for leadership positions, then passed too much legislation during the Congress' lame duck session. “For them to legislate when they’ve collectively lost their mandate just shows...

Sarah Palin to Senate: Vote Down New START
Sarah Palin to Senate:
Vote Down New START
OPINION
Dec 17, 2010 5:20 PM CST

Sarah Palin to Senate: Vote Down New START

Former Alaska guv believes new treaty 'makes no strategic sense'

(Newser) - Sarah Palin comes out swinging against New START, the nuclear arms reduction treaty currently being considered for ratification by the Senate, in a National Review op-ed. The treaty is not "in America's interest," the former Alaska governor writes, as it "requires the US to reduce our nuclear...

Lame Duck Congress Looks to Pass All or Nothing

If House doesn't approve tax deal, nothing will get done

(Newser) - Congress is about to pass lots of major legislation—or nothing at all. The House’s dilemma: If it tries to change the Senate’s $858 billion tax bill, the Senate won’t have time to vote on repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the DREAM Act, START, or...

Reid: Senate Can Work Past Christmas

GOP accuses Reid of dissing holiday

(Newser) - Senators dreaming of Christmas turkey should be thinking more about lame duck, Harry Reid warns. The majority leader says that after the tax cut deal is passed, he wants to address the START treaty, the DREAM Act, health care for 9/11 first responders, and the Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal,...

Tax Deal Cutting Into Obama's Hawaiian Getaway

As Congress heads toward overtime, the president may be stuck in DC

(Newser) - Someone break the news to Sasha and Malia: They may have to body surf the Hawaiian waves without dad this year. With Congress’ lame duck session likely headed into overtime, President Obama has resolved to stay in Washington to sign anything it passes, meaning he may not find himself en...

Senate Republicans Block 9/11 Health Bill

Democrats hope to insert it into tax-cut deal

(Newser) - GOP senators stopped a $7.4 billion bill to help rescuers who suffered injuries in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the New York Times reports. The Senate voted mostly on party lines to extend debate on the 9/11 health bill, effectively sending it to be considered by the next...

Senate GOP to Dems: We'll Block All Bills
Senate GOP to Dems: We'll Block All Bills
UPDATED
Dec 1, 2010 9:00 AM CST

Senate GOP to Dems: We'll Block All Bills

All 42 say they won't budge til tax cuts, gov't funding addressed

(Newser) - All 42 Senate Republicans have signed a letter pledging to block all legislation during the lame-duck session until the Senate addresses the Bush-era tax cuts and funding the government—the latter of which must pass in order to prevent a shutdown of the government, MSNBC reports. This could spell disaster...

Gates: Repeal 'Don't Ask' ASAP

...Before Republicans take over

(Newser) - Robert Gates wants Congress to repeal the law preventing gays from openly serving in the military as quickly as possible—before Republicans take over in January and prevent it from happening at all. “I would like to see the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,...

Deficit Fights Loom for Lame Duck Congress

Spending bill, Bush tax cut decision will have to be made quickly

(Newser) - The federal deficit has played a huge role in the midterm elections, but it might become an even bigger issue right after them, when a lame duck Congress is forced to make immediate decisions about the expiring Bush tax cuts, and pass an overdue spending bill to keep the government...

Beware Lame-Duck Dems' Dirty Tricks
 Beware Lame-Duck 
 Dems' Dirty Tricks 
Charles Krauthammer
Jul 23, 2010 12:40 PM CDT

Beware Lame-Duck Dems' Dirty Tricks

With nothing to lose, they could jam through legislation

(Newser) - It's looking more certain by the day that Democrats will lose lots of congressional seats in November, and that's precisely why Republicans have reason to worry, writes Charles Krauthammer. Consider this scenario: Democrats call a lame-duck Congress into session after the midterm elections and pass a slew of controversial measures—...

Lame-Duck Senators Could Swing Auto Vote

Ten ousted or retiring Republicans have potentially historic role

(Newser) - If the Senate votes next week on a $34 billion auto-industry bailout, 10 of the votes will come from lame-duck Republican senators—a potentially decisive margin. Having been ousted in November or planning to retire, they’ll have their say on a potentially historic bill without having to worry about...

Bush 'the Lamest of All Possible Ducks:' Klein
Bush 'the Lamest of All Possible Ducks:' Klein
OPINION
Nov 26, 2008 12:14 PM CST

Bush 'the Lamest of All Possible Ducks:' Klein

(Newser) - Joe Klein really wants to find something charitable and valedictory to say about George W. Bush. “His position on immigration was admirable,” Klein writes in Time. “He spoke well, in the abstract, about the importance of freedom. He is an impeccable classicist when it comes to baseball....

Lame Duck Can Do More Than Just Quack
 Lame Duck Can Do
 More Than Just Quack 
OPINION
Nov 24, 2008 2:47 PM CST

Lame Duck Can Do More Than Just Quack

(Newser) - Lame-duck presidents have made their share of last-minute legislative contributions, and the current lame duck need be no different, historian Julian E. Zelizer writes for CNN. “Bush does not have to sit on his hands until January 20,” Zelizer writes, and calls on him to “follow the...

Economy's Tanking Too Fast to Wait for Obama: Krugman

The downtime before inaguration could make things grimmer yet

(Newser) - The state of the economy right now reminds Paul Krugman a lot of the start of the Great Depression, including a lame-duck administration that seems to have no credibility, hence no influence on the markets, the columnist writes in the New York Times. Drastic damage was done to the country...

When Bush Speaks, Markets Shrug
 When Bush Speaks, 
 Markets Shrug 
OPINION
Oct 11, 2008 10:45 AM CDT

When Bush Speaks, Markets Shrug

White House brings no leadership to the table

(Newser) - George W. Bush tried to calm the markets once again yesterday, and once again, the markets responded by plunging. It was the 20th time in recent days that Bush has issued such proclamations, and every time “the market ignored him, and continued its downward plunge,” Dana Milbank writes...

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