US Congress

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Lawmaker Curses Out Teenage Pages in Capitol Rotunda

Rep. Derrick Van Orden later defended his actions

(Newser) - A freshman Republican congressman is in hot water after a profanity-ridden tirade against a group of Senate pages. Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin was apparently quite unhappy with a group of pages, the 16- and 17-year-olds who assist with Senate operations, that he came upon in the Capitol rotunda...

Judge: No, You Can't Use Brandon Chant as Ballot Name

Colorado congressional candidate Dave Williams argued it was his nickname

(Newser) - Update: A judge in Colorado has ruled that Dave Williams must appear as "Dave Williams" on the ballot, and not, as he hoped, as "Dave 'Let's Go Brandon' Williams." Williams, a GOP state lawmaker, is running for Congress and tried to use the anti-Biden slogan...

Standing Between Sarah Palin and Congress: Santa Claus

Bernie Sanders supporter from North Pole, Alaska, wants to 'legislate for greater good'

(Newser) - If Sarah Palin wants a seat in Congress , she'll first have to get past Santa Claus. That's the legal name of a city council member in—where else?—North Pole, Alaska, who's one of almost 50 people battling Palin for the state's only congressional seat. As...

Zelensky Addresses Congress This Week
Zelensky Will Speak
to US Congress

Zelensky Will Speak to US Congress

Ukraine leader will make an in-person pitch on Wednesday morning

(Newser) - Congress will hear from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky directly on Wednesday morning, reports Politico . House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer informed members in a letter that Zelensky will speak to both chambers simultaneously via video, per the Washington Post . "Congress remains unwavering in our commitment...

Zelensky Appeals to Congress
Zelensky Addresses Lawmakers

Zelensky Addresses Lawmakers

Senators agree to try to get Ukraine fighter jets

(Newser) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took his case for more weapons directly to Congress on Saturday, addressing lawmakers in a Zoom call. About 300 members of the House and Senate heard him describe "the urgent need" for increased military and humanitarian aid to help Ukraine fight off the Russian invasion,...

Antonio Sabato Jr. Sets Sights on Congress Seat

Republican 'Melrose Place' star will take on Rep. Julia Brownley in California

(Newser) - First Ronald Reagan, then Arnold Schwarzenegger, and now … Antonio Sabato Jr. The political bug has bitten yet another Hollywood alum, with the 45-year-old filing paperwork Monday with the Federal Election Commission announcing his run for Congress against Democratic Rep. Julia Brownley in California, per the Los Angeles Times . GOP...

Graham's First Act as Prez? Sic Military on Congress

To get them to reverse defense, intel budget cuts

(Newser) - Lindsey Graham is still talking . His latest headline-worthy quote: If he becomes our next president, the very first thing he will do is deploy the military. Against ... Congress. "I wouldn't let Congress leave town until we fix this," he said yesterday at New Hampshire's "politics...

100+ Congressional Staffers Stage Walk-Out for Garner, Brown

Dozens participate, hold their hands up

(Newser) - In protest of the grand jury decisions not to indict the police officers involved in the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, dozens of congressional staffers walked out of the Capitol this afternoon, NPR reports. They stood on the steps of Capitol Hill holding their hands up in the...

Here's Why We Should Pay Congress $1M Per Year
Here's Why We Should Pay Congress $1M Per Year
OPINION

Here's Why We Should Pay Congress $1M Per Year

Alex Pareene explains why we actually should make lawmakers rich

(Newser) - You were probably outraged when Rep. Jim Moran said members of Congress can't live on $174,000 per year , right? But over at Salon , Alex Pareene makes the case for why we actually should pay lawmakers more—say, a million bucks a year. Yes, we all hate Congress, but...

Why Dentists Are Helping This Guy Get Re-Elected

Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho is one of 2 in Congress

(Newser) - As Rep. Mike Simpson braces for a tough re-election battle, he has some allies most members of Congress can't claim: dentists. Simpson is one of just two dentists in Congress; he even continued to practice in Idaho while serving in the Statehouse. This year he's trying to fend...

States, Sick of Waiting for Congress, Take on Privacy

Companies worry about patchwork regulations

(Newser) - It's been more than a year since the White House proposed a sweeping new set of consumer privacy regulations, and in that time Congress has done exactly nothing with it. So frustrated state legislatures are taking up the issue instead, the New York Times reports today, highlighting the efforts...

Irate Voters Ready to Throw the Bums Out

Just 4% say we'd be worse off if every Congressman was replaced

(Newser) - The American people want to see some heads roll in Congress, with new polls out today showing that the shutdown has drastically soured voters on just about everyone. Just 4% of respondents said the country would be worse off if every single congressman were replaced in the 2014 elections, while...

It's Over: House Passes Senate-Backed Deal

Obama signs bill: We need to stop 'governing by crisis'

(Newser) - Federal workers, prepare to rejoin the morning commute. The Senate tonight passed its bill to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling by a vote of 81-18, the AP reports; the House backed the bill 285-144, just hours before the Treasury would have lost its authority to borrow...

Government Shutdown: Now What?

Closure could last at least a week

(Newser) - The House and Senate's failure to reach a deal to resolve the budget brouhaha has left the US without a functioning federal government for the first time in 17 years—and the two sides seem so averse to compromise that it's anyone's guess when the shutdown will...

Obama Came This Close to Striking Syria Alone: Officials

Senior officials say he decided to seek Congress' OK at last minute

(Newser) - President Obama announced today that he would seek Congress' OK before launching a military attack on Syria—but that wasn't his original plan, say anonymous senior administration officials. The president had originally planned to strike without first getting approval, but changed his mind last night after a long discussion...

Boehner: 'Judge Us by the Laws We Repeal'

House speaker addresses Congress' perceived lack of productivity

(Newser) - For those judging the House for its failure to pass new laws and its dogged determination to repeal existing ones ( hello, ObamaCare! ), John Boehner would like you to do, well, pretty much just that. In comments on Face the Nation this morning, the House speaker says Congress "...

Confidence in Congress Can't Get Much Lower
 Confidence in 
 Congress Can't 
 Get Much Lower 
gallup poll

Confidence in Congress Can't Get Much Lower

Only 10% of us have a 'great deal' or 'quite a lot'

(Newser) - Things Americans have more confidence in than Congress, according to the latest Gallup poll: the police, organized religion, banks, big business, HMOs ... and literally everything else pollsters asked them about. Congress came in last on the list of 16 institutions for the fourth consecutive year, and this year found the...

USPS Won't Cut Saturday Mail After All

Post Office says Congress left it no choice

(Newser) - The US Postal Service says it will delay plans to cut Saturday mail delivery because Congress isn't allowing the change. As expected , Congress "has left [USPS] with no choice but to delay implementation" of the five-day-a-week plan, the agency's Board of Governors said in a statement today.

Giffords to Congress: Background Checks. Now.

Misinformation is stalling a no-brainer that everyone wants

(Newser) - "I think about patience every day," says Gabrielle Giffords, as she rehabilitates from being shot in the head two years ago. But as she looks at the gun control dance playing out on Capitol Hill, she finds herself running short of that particular virtue. "What are they...

Senate Makes Limp Efforts to Duck Sequester

But 'it's going to happen' despite votes: Rep.

(Newser) - Today, the Senate will vote on two plans that could potentially avert the sequester—but passage doesn't seem likely, USA Today reports. The Democrats' plan, which focuses on a minimum 30% tax on millionaires as well as defense and farm cuts, lacks the 60 votes it would need to...

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