Dems Block Move to Oust Rangel From Tax Post

Issa calls for ethics probe of lawmakers who received discounted loans

(NEWSER) - At least four current members of the House of Representatives received discounted loans under Countrywide Financial's VIP program, according to Rep. Darrell Issa. The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee did not name the lawmakers who received sweetened deals from the now defunct lender—whose subprime mortgages were largely to blame for the foreclosure crisis—but he recommended that they be investigated by the House Ethics Committee, Politico reports. More»

Power is with Obama, Senate Democrats, and House Republicans: Dana Milbank

(NEWSER) - With Congress split between the two parties, power in Washington is about President Obama, Senate Democrats, and House Republicans (and, thanks to the filibuster , Senate Republicans). But House Democrats? Not so much, writes Dana Milbank in the Washington Post . "[T]here is no dignity in being a House Democrat these days," he writes. While the power brokers hammer out deals, "House Democrats often find out what’s going on by watching cable news." More»

Post columnists question the fairness

(NEWSER) - If his House censure is still stinging, Charlie Rangel would do well to pick up today's Washington Post. Columnists Dana Milbank and David Broder don't exactly make the case he's innocent (not even Rangel does that), but they lend sympathetic voices:

• Milbank: He belittles the House ethics panel, calling it rank hypocrisy that Rangel got singled out for common behavior. "If it's any consolation, Rangel should know that however harmed he was by the censure, the entity that was really disgraced was Congress itself. This is because Rangel's two-year battle with the House ethics committee exposed the woeful state of lawmakers' abilities to police their own." Full column here .

Nancy Pelosi formally reads the resolution after vote

(NEWSER) - After all that, it was a over in a few minutes: The House voted 333-79 to censure Charlie Rangel today for a host of ethics violations, after which he had to stand and listen to Nancy Pelosi read the formal rebuke, reports Politico . It's only the 23rd time the House has invoked its version of tar-and-feathering, and Rangel asked to address his peers afterward, notes the New York Times . "I know in my heart I am not going to be judged by this Congress,” he said. “I’ll be judged by my life in its entirety." More»

House set to send the bill back

(NEWSER) - House Democrats plan to spike the food safety bill their Senate counterparts trumpeted about passing yesterday , arguing that the upper chamber has stepped on its constitutional authority to create new taxes. The Senate bill includes a set of fees that are classified as revenue raisers, which are technically considered taxes, Roll Call explains. The Constitution requires that all tax laws begin in the House—so the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee intends to “blue slip” the bill. More»