National minimum
goes to $7.25 by 2009, small business gets
tax breaks
New York Times May 25, 07 5:08 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Congress has raised the national minimum wage for the first time in 10 years, from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour. The hike, part of a compromise between the White House and Congress over Iraq funding, will take effect in three stages over the next two years. It will mean bigger paychecks for an estimated 5.6 million American workers.
More »
The new majority is not as kosher as
they claim to be
Washington Post May 24, 07 4:42 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Democrats in Congress pledged to cut the pork out of appropriations bills, but the new majority is already cheating on the diet, reports the Washington Post. Using a technique called "phonemarking," congressmen are contacting federal agencies directly and asking them to fund their pet projects, all while boasting that their bills contain no earmarks. Changes in wording are used to disguise special-interest spendings;
More »
New war spending bill won't include much-ballyhooed provision
Los Angeles Times May 22, 07 9:51 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Democratic leaders have quietly abandoned a cornerstone of their Iraq war platform: a timeline for withdrawal. Racing to pass a spending bill before the Memorial Day recess, they don't have the votes to pass a timeline, the LA Times reports, and they risk fallout for failing to fund troops in the field if they can’t reach an agreement this week.
More »
New York Times May 19, 07 8:58 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Congress' Democratic bosses and the White House are attempting diplomacy after six years of Republican neglect that has left the new majority uneasy, the Times reports. But this week's agreements on less thorny issues, trade and immigration, contrast significantly with a divided Washington's repeated, fumbled attempts at a compromise war appropriations bill.
More »
AG looks more confident as GOP defenders materialize
Financial Times (UK) May 11, 07 7:15 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
The Democrats' campaign to unseat Alberto Gonzales appears to have lost some luster, the Financial Times reports. As the House Judiciary Committee continues to grill the attorney general about the firing of nine U.S. Attorneys last year, Republicans are increasingly rallying behind their man, and are now calling for the investigation to end.
More »
Votes for another showdown with President Bush
CNN May 11, 07 6:36 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Congress voted 221-205 last night to pump $40 billion into the war in Iraq—only enough to fund combat operations until July. An additional $56 billion would be released contingent on the Iraqi government's progress. The bill omits any timetable for withdrawal, but sets the scene for another showdown with President Bush, who's promised to veto it.
More »
Dems, White House agree to labor and environmental protection in pacts
Washington Post May 11, 07 6:26 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Democrats have struck a deal with the White House that beefs up labor and environmental standards in pending free-trade pacts, clearing the way for agreements with Peru, Panama, South Korea, and Colombia. Provisions will be written into future deals banning forced labor, child labor and workplace discrimination, the Washington Post reports.
More »
Washington Post May 9, 07 3:03 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
President Bush will veto a second proposed Iraq appropriations blll, the White House said today, dashing hopes for an agreement on the controversial measure. The new bill, which House Dems unveiled yesterday, requires the President to report to Congress on Iraq's progress in order to receive full funding for the war.
More »
Most were strong performers, former deputy AG tells
House panel
The Hill May 4, 07 8:52 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Most of the U.S. attorneys axed en masse by the Justice Department last year weren't underperforming, former Deputy Attorney General James Comey told a House panel yesterday. Comey, who left Justice over a year before the firings, said he'd rated the attorneys' performance for Chief of Staff Kyle Sampson in 2005.
More »
Even some Republicans like them.
But how would they be enforced?
Washington Post May 3, 07 11:12 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Congressional Dems have dropped their demands for a timeline to bring home troops, after the House failed yesterday to override a Bush veto on their Iraq spending bill. Now the buzzword is benchmarks, and even some Republicans are signaling that they could get on board. But what, if any, muscle might be put behind the benchmarks is unclear.
More »
Companies fill Dems' war chests, seeking traction with ruling party
Wall Street Journal Apr 30, 07 7:26 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Corporate America is shifting campaign contributions from GOP soulmates to Democrats, eager to bond with new legislative gatekeepers. Coffers aren't swelling across the board, though; a Wall Street Journal analysis shows pro-business Dems are pulling in most of it. General Dynamics, Honeywell International, Home Depot. and Aflac are among those funneling funds to moderates.
More »
"We see it as a loss of four years of sacrifices"
BBC Apr 27, 07 8:25 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
The Iraqi government is blasting the U.S. Senate for approving the troop-withdrawal bill, saying it sends the wrong message to insurgents. "We see it as a loss of four years of sacrifices," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said yesterday of the legislation, which mandates an October 1 deadline for the beginning of a pullout.
More »
Move sets stage for second veto
of Bush's presidency
New York Times Apr 26, 07 2:09 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
The Senate approved the Iraq funding bill 51-46 early this afternoon, conferring its expected stamp of approval on an October troop pullout. But the vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to avoid a promised veto. Democrats are already ruminating on post-veto counter-proposals, including replacing the rigid timetable with benchmarks.
More »
Congress gets tough on U.S. attorneys players—and calls Condi in to talk Iraq
The Hill Apr 26, 07 8:58 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
The Democratic Congress flexed its oversight muscle today, with both houses dishing out subpoenas all the way up to Condi Rice. A House committee subpoenaed the Secretary of State to discuss the lead-up to the Iraq War, while both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees summoned aides involved in the U.S. attorney firings.
More »