Stephen Johnson Is No James Watt
The House oversight committee’s afternoon with EPA chief Stephen Johnson is wrapping up. One of the most interesting elements of the day was the the sympathetic Republican line of questioning, that ultimately didn’t give Johnson much to work with.
Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Ut.) said that he had "environmental bona fides" and knows how to walk a "middle path" between regulation and economic interests. Cannon’s bona fides? He said he worked with James Watt, Ronald Reagan’s secretary of the Dept of Interior.
As secretary, Watt set the record for fewest species he judged endangered, though, today’s Interior chief, Dirk Kempthorne, has broken that by not judging a single new species "endangered." (Though, polar bears got a little bit of a nod last week.) Watt also banned the Beach Boys from playing a White House-sponsored July 4, 1983 concert at the Washington mall saying the rock band brought an "undesirable element" (the Dead Kennedy’s ended up playing a not-White House sponsored concert in their place).
Oh, and Watt was indicted on 25 felony counts for improperly lobbying Housing and Urban Development as Interior secretary.
Perhaps, by evoking Watt, Cannon was making a sophisticated point that there have been worse political appointees than Johnson. But it seemed that he was just an admirer of James Watt.
Related
Rep. Patrick McHenry: Please, Conservatives, Fill Out Your Census Forms!
The conservative congressman from North Carolina, a constant critic of the census -- one of the people who sounded the alarm about politicization when the
Rep. Paulsen allies with medical device industry to relax FDA oversight
Source: Flickr; Republicanconference (www.flickr.com/photos/republicanconference) On the heels of the Minnesota Independent story last week about U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen’s cozy financial relationship with the medical device industry, the New York Times reported Tuesday that some health professionals are alarmed by Paulsen’s push to relax Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversight
Rep. Parker Griffith (R-Ala.)
One of the most conservative Democrats in the House -- a freshman who said he couldn’t support Nancy Pelosi again -- is going to switch over to the GOP. Josh
Rep. Paulsen touts balanced budget constitutional amendment
In a post for the conservative blog True North , U.S. Rep
Rep. Paulsen, Karl Rove the latest to get ‘glittered’
Rep. Erik Paulsen and former Bush staffer Karl Rove were both showered with glitter at the Midwest Leadership Conference Friday
Rep. Paul Ryan to deliver SOTU response
Chairman of the House Budget Committee Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will deliver the Republican response to the State of the Union Tuesday, according to Mike Allen
Rep. Perlmutter criticizes House measure that would eliminate 800K federal jobs
Congressman Ed Perlmutter today issued a scathing statement criticizing the House of Representatives for passing a spending bill that could put nearly a million federal employees out of work. The Colorado delegation voted strictly on party lines, with all four Republicans voting in favor of the bill and the three Democrats voting in opposition. Perlmutter’s statement: “My number one priority is to get people back to work because that’s the best thing we can do to pay our debt and move forward toward economic stability
Rep. Perlmutter to hold constituent meet-up in grocery store
Colorado Congressman Ed Perlmutter will hold a Government in the Grocery constituent meet-up this evening from 5-7 at the Safeway at 38th and Wadsworth in Wheat Ridge. The address is 3900 Wadsworth. The meeting, where Perlmutter typically sits at a folding table and talks to whomever shows up, is free and open to the public
Rep. Peace, ACLU seek investigation of soldier’s allegations of racial discrimination in Afghanistan
Both Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM) and the American Civil Liberties Union agree: There needs to be an investigation into Spc.
School of Hock
A growing number of college grads are defaulting on their student loans as the economy worsens.
