Follow Newser on Twitter   Friend Newser on Facebook
Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

NEWS ABOUT: Congressional Republicans

Congress Must Stop Ignoring Article 1, Section 8

If Congress had debated recent wars, we'd have saved trillions: Walter Rodgers

(Newser) - Congressional Republicans have been hard at work cutting a few million in funding from NPR; but if they’d just played by the rules a decade ago, they could have saved at least $4 trillion, writes Walter Rodgers in the Christian Science Monitor . That's one estimate of how much the... More »

GOP Bill Gives IRS New Job: Policing Abortion Payments

Victims of rape or incest would need documentation proving it

(Newser) - If the GOP’s "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" becomes law, it could force the IRS to ask prying questions about abortion in any tax audit it conducts, an executive from the nonpartisan Joint Tax Committee told Congress this week. Under the bill, women who received any kind... More »

GOP Freshmen Learn Basics at 'Budget Camp'

Their homework: sell the plan in their own districts

(Newser) - Senior Republicans have an assignment for their 87 freshmen: Sell the party’s budget plan in your home districts. To that end, party leaders have been running a “boot camp” to teach the budget basics, with “listening sessions” run by senior lawmakers, Politico reports. But in a fiscally-focused... More »

White House Offers Another $6.5B in Cuts

Officials: We're meeting GOP 'halfway' with budget proposal

(Newser) - The White House has proposed another $6.5 billion in spending cuts, its latest offer in an effort to avoid a government shutdown as another deadline looms. Vice President Biden brought the proposal to talks with congressional leaders yesterday. While it’s far less than the House’s proposed $61... More »

Bachmann: Tax Code Is a WMD

Also, Obama makes Carter 'look like Rambo'

(Newser) - Michelle Bachmann labeled the US tax code as a “weapon of mass destruction," calling for “a radically different system” in a speech to GOP activists in South Carolina. The congresswoman slammed President Obama’s handling of protests in Egypt and Iran, saying he’s “making Jimmy... More »

Obama's Approval Rating Jumps 6 Points

Congress, both parties, up as well

(Newser) - The public appears to feel a little less disgruntled these days. President Obama’s approval rating shot up 6 points to 53% in an AP-GfK poll released today. That’s his highest rating in nearly a year, Politico points out—and he’s not the only one feeling the love.... More »

Boehner's First Order of Business: Decrease His Power

Rule package expected to be approved by GOP today

(Newser) - John Boehner may be the incoming speaker of the House, but he doesn’t want a whole lot of power. In fact, one of tomorrow’s first votes could be on a package of rule changes Boehner says will decentralize power—and even allow minority-party members to have more of... More »

House Schedules Vote on Health Repeal

Two-page bill dubbed the "Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act"

(Newser) - The new Republican House won’t waste any time getting in a vote on its top priority —a largely symbolic vote to repeal Democrats’ health care reform law. The bill will be voted on next week, Politico reports. The two-page document is subtly titled the “Repealing the Job-Killing... More »

House GOP Vows to Cut $100B ... From Somewhere

But 20% reduction may be too drastic to be realized

(Newser) - The Republican-controlled House is determined to follow through on its plan to cut $100 billion in domestic spending this year—it just isn’t quite sure where the cuts will come from. The military, domestic security, and veterans are safe, but all other federal programs would face 20% cuts, on... More »

Census Results Could Be Really Good News for GOP

Red-leaning states to see congressional boost

(Newser) - The Census Bureau will announce its new population figures tomorrow, and Republicans will likely be fans of the numbers. Based on the figures, as many as 18 states could see their number of congressional districts and representatives change, a political consultant tells NPR . Texas is set to gain three Congressional... More »

Tax Deal Offers GOP 'Hostages' for 2012

Krugman: Democrats will need to make more deals in election year

(Newser) - President Obama may have rescued some tax “hostages” from the GOP—the unemployed, for example—but in the process, he set up another hostage situation down the road, writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . The "not-so-bad stuff” in the tax deal “expires at the end... More »

Senate Dems Push to Pass 100 Bills in One Go

Reid seeks filibuster-proof measures for public lands, water

(Newser) - With time running out in the lame-duck session, Democrats are working hard to push through some 100 environmental bills, Politico reports. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is calling on party leaders to compile a list of public lands and water measures Republicans won’t kill with a filibuster. On the... More »

Obama Must Say No to 'Tax Cut Blackmail'

GOP closer to making 'irresponsible' cuts permanent: Paul Krugman

(Newser) - It’s time for President Obama to stand up against a GOP that wants to extend “obviously irresponsible” tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . Keep in mind the big picture: Republicans want to make these cuts permanent, and if they agree... More »

Hey Obama: Where's Your Backbone?

'Weightless' president must stop trying to please GOP

(Newser) - It’s like he has Stockholm Syndrome: instead of standing up for his beliefs, Obama keeps trying to please his Republican captors, seeing their “good side” while they take advantage of him, writes Frank Rich in the New York Times . “A chief executive who repeatedly presents himself as... More »

Obama, GOP Hold Hushed Tax-Cut Talks

President calls for speedy renewal of jobless benefits

(Newser) - Could the president and GOP lawmakers be inching toward compromise ? Working against the clock, Obama and congressional Republicans have been holding behind-the-scenes talks about extending tax cuts—due to expire at year’s end—and renewing expired emergency jobless benefits, and they're making slow and steady progress on the... More »

Child Nutrition Bill Passes House, Goes to Obama

Democrats sidestep GOP's blocking tactic

(Newser) - Congressional Democrats sidestepped a Republican block and passed a childhood nutrition bill today, the AP reports. The $4.5 billion bill will increase the number of free lunches and dinners provided by schools, and impose nutritional requirements on the food provided in cafeterias and sold in vending machines. Michelle Obama,... More »

Obama, GOP Will Keep Working on Tax-Cut Deal

They hope to reach compromise on Bush cuts by year's end

(AP) - Reaching no quick fixes, President Obama and Republican leaders in Congress today vowed to seek a compromise on tax cuts before year's end. "The American people did not vote for gridlock," Obama said following the session. There was no consensus on whether to keep Bush-era tax cuts in... More »

New Lawmakers to Slumber on Hill

Office will double as bedroom for some frugal freshmen

(Newser) - As they start their lives in Washington, the 94 incoming members of the House of Representatives need places to live—and about 15% are considering simply using their offices. The move puts their disdain for Washington, and for spending, on display. “It's the ultimate I'm-not-a-professional-politician statement,” write Michael... More »

Liberals to GOP Lawmakers: Decline Health Insurance

Progressives say they should reject government coverage

(Newser) - Progressives are issuing a challenge to incoming Republican House members: If they are so dead-set on repealing health care reform, they shouldn't accept the taxpayer-funded congressional health plan. The fracas started when newly elected Rep. Andy Harris made a fuss during an orientation because his coverage didn't begin right away,... More »

New GOP Rep: I Have to Wait to Get Health Care?

Maryland's Andy Harris can't understand why benefits don't kick in for a month

(Newser) - For a Republican who campaigned on repealing ObamaCare, Andy Harris had a rather unusual question at a meeting on congressional benefits yesterday: Dude, where's my health care? Harris, an anesthesiologist and newly elected Maryland rep, demanded to know why his federal health insurance takes a month to kick in. “... More »

Stories 21 - 40 | << Prev   Next >>
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   Geek Sugar   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment