House Page Program Under Fire Again

Speaker, Karl Rove also slam PAC plan to attack Jeremiah Wright

(NEWSER) - John Boehner today took to ABC's This Week to offer his characteristically blunt assessment of JPMorgan, and promptly asserted that Dodd-Frank wouldn't have averted the bank's $3 billion blunder : " There's no law against stupidity . No law against stupid trades. As long as there's no risk of a taxpayer bailout—they should be held accountable by the market and their shareholders. And they are." Boehner also offered his take on a super PAC's scrapped plan to bash President Obama over Jeremiah Wright, calling it "nonsense (that) shouldn't happen. The election's gonna be about the economy. ... And I think Gov. Romney's prescriptions are much better." Elsewhere on your Sunday dial, as per Politico : More»

'I will recover, and will return,' resignation letter promises

(NEWSER) - Gabrielle Giffords was feted by colleagues including Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz today in her last day on the House floor. "Today I know that now is not the time. I have more work to do on my recovery before I can again serve in elected office," wrote Giffords in a resignation letter to John Boehner read aloud by Wasserman Schultz. "Every day I am working hard. I will recover, and will return, and we will work together again, for Arizona and for all Americans." More»

House Republicans revolt, call for conference committee

(NEWSER) - House Republicans didn’t hold their expected vote on the Senate’s two-month payroll tax cut extension last night, a hairpin turn so abrupt that Politico ’s story on it is headlined, “Has John Boehner Lost Control?” The House had planned to vote down the Senate bill and push for a full-year extension, but members objected that doing so would compromise their pledge against voting for tax hikes. Instead, the House will hold a procedural vote this morning to send the matter into a conference committee with the Senate. More»

Hawks, libs expected to bolt—selling fine print to the rest is crucial

(NEWSER) - Not so fast. Is the debt ceiling agreement settled? Or could it still go down in flames? "We all may not be able to support it, or none us may be able to support it," Nancy Pelosi ominously told reporters yesterday ahead of today's Democratic caucus on the plan. The trick now is "selling the fine print"—the deal is "complicated, multi-dimensional and full of peril for the priorities of each side," notes Politico . Defections are expected by both liberals in the Senate and defense hawks in the House. More»

(NEWSER) - John Boehner was a late addition to Fox News Sunday today, and painted a two-step deal as the only alternative left. "It's not physically possible to do all of this in one step," Boehner told Chris Wallace, advocating a short-term fix through early next year; President Obama has vowed to veto any deal that doesn't extend to 2013. "I know the president is worried about his next re-election, but, my God, shouldn’t we be worried about the country?" Boehner said. The speaker said he'll put forth a plan based on the House's Cap, Cut, and Balance plan, and said Republicans are "prepared to move on our own." He added that his last offer to the White House of $800 billion in revenue was "still on the table." Elsewhere on the Sunday debt-ceiling dial, as per Politico: More»