Obama to Empty Congress: End FAA Shutdown

GOP, Dems disagree about subsidizing service to rural airports

(NEWSER) - Congress has gone home for the summer without reaching a deal to end a partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration . Some 4,000 FAA employees and around 70,000 construction workers have been put out of work by the shutdown, caused by a partisan standoff, the Washington Post reports. Airport safety inspectors have been asked to work without pay; air traffic controllers and plane inspectors are unaffected, as they're paid from different accounts. The Senate has refused to accept a provision in a House bill that reverses a National Mediation Board decision making it easier for airline employees to unionize. More»

Conservative critics think Minority Leader should be fighting administration harder

(NEWSER) - Why haven’t we heard more from Mitch McConnell on health care? The Senate Minority Leader has kept relatively quiet on the administration’s reform efforts, a stance that has irked many conservative activists who feel McConnell is ducking his duties as de facto Republican Party leader, writes Stephanie Mencimer for Mother Jones. McConnell “could single-handedly destroy this bill,” says pro-life firebrand Randall Terry. “But so far he has not displayed the backbone." More»

MoveOn should back off, majority leader says

(NEWSER) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says left-wing groups shouldn’t run ads pressuring moderate Democrats into backing President Obama’s budget, Politico reports. “I think it’s very unwise and not helpful,” Reid said today of the efforts by Moveon.org and Americans United for Change to convert moderate Dems. “These groups should leave them alone. It’s not helpful to me. It’s not helpful to the Democratic Caucus.” More»

(NEWSER) - President Obama listened to Republican gripes about his stimulus plan today, then calmly reminded them that "I won," Politico reports. The GOP is seeking more middle-class tax cuts, among other things, and says the spending package is too large. Further negotiations are planned, but Dems appear to be in control. Asked if he worried about GOP resistance to passing the bill by Feb. 14, Harry Reid replied, “No.” More»

Hill leaders doubt plan's stimulus power, say prez-elect trying too hard to woo GOP

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama's proposed tax cuts are opening a rift with his former congressional colleagues, the Hill reports. Democratic lawmakers are skeptical as to whether the cuts—which are 40% of the proposed stimulus package—will give the economy the necessary boost. Some think the president-elect is trying too hard to win over Republicans, who remain largely unswayed by the plan. More»