Congress

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As Shutdown Odds Rise, Federal Agencies Scramble

Hundreds of thousands of government employees will be furloughed

(Newser) - John Boehner planned a strategy session later today with House Republican leaders to plot their next move, but the prospects of avoiding a government shutdown before Monday's midnight deadline are getting bleaker by the hour, reports Politico . For one thing, no negotiations between Republicans and Democrats are even on...

Historic Call: Obama Talks With Iran's President

He also tells GOP to 'knock it off' in regard to the budget

(Newser) - President Obama went to the White House briefing room this afternoon to scold House Republicans—"knock it off, pass a budget, and move on"—but he made more news with a brief announcement beforehand: Obama revealed that he had spoken on the phone with Iran President Hasan Rouhani...

Tick, Tick, Tick: Senate Re-Funds ObamaCare; Back to House

It's anybody's guess what happens next ahead of shutdown

(Newser) - Your move, John Boehner. As expected, the Senate today passed a bill that keeps the government running and funds ObamaCare, reports the AP . The vote was 54-44. Now House Republicans must decide whether to accept it—Boehner already has suggested he won't —or run the risk of a...

House GOP Rejects Senate Plan as Shutdown Looms

Boehner still says shutdown unlikely

(Newser) - Word yesterday was that Republicans might attach the ObamaCare battle to the debt-ceiling debate, averting a government shutdown; today, that's looking less likely. Asked whether the House would accept a bill to fund the government after the Senate removes anti-ObamaCare measures, as it is expected to do , John Boehner...

Government Shutdown? &#39;Bring It On&#39;
Government Shutdown? 'Bring It On'
OPINION
Sep 24, 2013 12:33 PM CDT

Government Shutdown? 'Bring It On'

Matthew Yglesias: A brief one gives us a chance to fix this mess now

(Newser) - We're less than a week away from a possible government shutdown , but it probably won't come to pass, writes Matthew Yglesias at Slate . The safe money right now says that Ted Cruz won't be able to fend off the inevitable result: Republicans will agree to yet another...

Cruz Asking Republicans to Block Bill They Support

He's trying to keep Senate from restoring ObamaCare funding as shutdown looms

(Newser) - The political theater in DC in regard to the looming government shutdown and the fight over ObamaCare has resulted in this weird logic: Ted Cruz wants his fellow Republicans in the Senate to block a bill they support. Politico and New York lay it out: The House has sent to...

Obama Fires Back: GOP 'Trying to Mess With Me'

Republicans might turn US into a 'deadbeat nation,' he charges

(Newser) - Hours after House Republicans passed a budget bill that would defund ObamaCare , President Obama lashed back during a combative speech at a Ford plant in Liberty, Mo., reports the Hill . He accused Congress of playing political games with both a potential government shutdown and the debt ceiling that turn the...

House Passes Spending Bill, Without ObamaCare

Stands no chance in the Senate as clock ticks toward shutdown

(Newser) - And we're off: The House has passed a temporary funding measure to keep the government running. As expected, the bill is coupled with a Tea Party-backed measure to block President Obama's new healthcare law. The 230 -189 vote sets the stage for a confrontation with the Democratic-led Senate....

House Slashes Money for Food Stamps
House Slashes Money
for Food Stamps
Sep 19, 2013 6:22 PM CDT

House Slashes Money for Food Stamps

Bill would cut $40 billion over a decade, setting up fight in Senate

(Newser) - House Republicans have laid down their marker in the fight over the nation's food-stamp program: They passed a bill tonight that would slash nearly $40 billion over 10 years, arguing that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is bloated and too-easily abused, reports the Hill . The vote was close, 217-210,...

Congressman Whines He's 'Stuck' With 6-Figure Salary

'I'm stuck here making $172K,' Rep. Phil Gingrey reportedly said

(Newser) - The latest politician to have his name splashed across national news over something he said is Georgia Rep. Phil Gingrey, who is finding himself under fire following a meeting of congressional Republicans yesterday. On the table was the ruling that allows federal lawmakers and their staffers to get a health...

Obama's New Hurdle: Ticked-Off Democrats

Opposition has centered on Syria, NSA, Summers

(Newser) - House Republicans haven't made things easy for President Obama—but now, he's facing hurdles within his own party. The New York Times notes that liberals have lately disagreed with Obama on Syria, NSA surveillance, and the consideration of Larry Summers for the Fed chairmanship; they're also unhappy...

Why Congress Is Divided on Syria

Extremist rebels, regime atrocities leave lawmakers no easy options

(Newser) - Congress is decidedly skittish about the prospect of military action against Syria—sources tell Politico's Playbook that if the vote were held today, it would fail—and the reason why has a lot to do with the thought of potentially bolstering men like Abdul Samad Issa, aka "The...

Sources Think Boehner's Done as Speaker

Spokesman says he plans to keep the job

(Newser) - Several insiders tell the Huffington Post that John Boehner could exit the House speaker role after 2014, despite his July assurances to the contrary. "The speaker has made clear publicly he intends to remain in his position in the next Congress," says a Boehner rep. But others close...

When Has Congress Declared War?

Hill hasn't formally declared war since 1942

(Newser) - With President Obama turning to Congress for a decision on Syria, BuzzFeed offers a quick Hill history lesson. Congress hasn't formally declared war since 1942, the site notes. But before that, it wasn't such a rare move:
  1. Congress backed war against Britain in 1812, by way of a
...

GOP Lawmakers to Supreme Court: Let Us Pray

Senators want traditional prayer before sessions kept in place

(Newser) - A group of mostly Republican lawmakers in DC has made a pitch to the Supreme Court for the right to keep saying a daily prayer before sessions of the House and Senate, reports Roll Call . They're worried that an upcoming case out of upstate New York will put the...

Politicians Privately Yearn for Smoke-Filled Backroom

Gov. Hickenlooper says transparency causes gridlock

(Newser) - How to unblock the least productive Congress in US history? Here's a counterintuitive notion: Reinstate pork-barrel spending and the smoke-filled backroom, where lawmakers can make legislative deals in private, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper tells Time . Surprisingly, other politicians agree—some off the record—that modern attempts at transparency and...

GOP&#39;s Biggest Enemy: Reality
 GOP's Biggest 
 Enemy: Reality 
OPINION
Aug 5, 2013 11:50 AM CDT

GOP's Biggest Enemy: Reality

Party can't turn talk into action: Paul Krugman

(Newser) - Republicans are hitting a wall in the House: the wall between ideology and reality, writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . They're happy to vote for a bill that calls for enormous spending cuts, but when it comes to selecting actual programs to slash, the party can't...

Government Shutdown Looms Again

Congress grapples with sequester as Washington budget war continues

(Newser) - Ready for another shutdown showdown? Well tough, because Congress seems to be barreling toward yet another irreconcilable budget stalemate, the Washington Post reports. Lawmakers need to reach a deal on the budget and, particularly, the sequester cuts by Oct. 1, which is just three weeks after they return from August...

Proposed USPS Fix: End Door-to-Door Service

We may end up getting our mail from neighborhood boxes

(Newser) - Rep. Darrell Issa says he has a potential solution to the Postal Service's money problem: Mail carriers could stop delivering your items right to your door. The House Oversight Committee is poised to vote on the proposal—potentially affecting 37 million homes and businesses—today. It could cut costs...

US Plan to Arm Syria Rebels Gets a Boost

But Pentagon cites continuing concerns

(Newser) - Last month, the White House said it planned to arm Syrian rebels —but members of Congress haven't been thrilled with the idea. Now, however, Capitol Hill seems to be coming around, Reuters reports. Despite "strong reservations ... We got a consensus that we could move forward with the...

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