Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is mounting a filibuster in the U.S. Senate right now against the Bush tax cuts deal brokered by President Obama and congressional Republicans. He has been speaking since 10:25 a.m. EST against the tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, and his office writes that More…
Republicans appear to have boxed themselves into a corner with their portrayal of earmarks as wasteful spending, as many of them have backed a moratorium on earmarks that threatens their power of direct spending. Politico reports that Rep. Michelle Bachmann wants to “redefine earmarks”:
Bachmann, for one, has major
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) announced last month that she wants to hold weekly “Constitution classes” for new members of Congress in the hopes of preventing them from being “co-opted into the Washington system.” She’s already announced several people she wants to teach the classes, including David Barton, More…
As the debate over the possible lapse or extension of the Bush tax cuts heats up in anticipation of Congress’ post-election return next week, you might have noticed that the goal posts of a possible compromise between Democrats and Republicans keep getting pushed back. A long time ago, many Democrats More…
Commenting on the undisclosed cash that was spent in the 2010 elections and the campaign finance reform battles that lie ahead in Congress, Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer makes it clear in a statement that reform advocates are praying for a scandal to revive the urgency of their cause:
Secret
After a year of talking about the growing federal deficit, one might guess that both Democrats and Republicans would feel compelled to have an adult conversation about the issue after the bipartisan debt-reduction commission reports its findings in December and a new Congress kicks off next year. The New York Times, More…
This afternoon, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Office of Management and Budget Acting Director Jeffrey Zients gave one final report on the United States’ fiscal year:
Due to careful stewardship of the emergency programs, their effect on the deficit was much smaller than previously estimated. The Troubled Asset Relief
Immigrant rights advocates can breathe a sign of relief: Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) announced this afternoon he will not leave Congress to run for Chicago mayor. The longtime supporter of comprehensive immigration reform was considering entering the field to replace Mayor Richard Daley, who announced More…
Oil giant Exxon Mobil spent less money on lobbying in the second quarter (April to June) of this year than it did during the same period last year, despite ongoing efforts by the Obama administration and Congress to reshape the way oil companies can drill offshore in light of the More…
Soon, the House plans to vote on a sweeping child-nutrition bill. The Senate passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, a deficit-neutral bill providing $4.5 billion to school lunch and other federal child-nutrition programs, in early August. If passed by the House and signed by President Obama, it will be the More…
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