US Congress

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Lawmakers Skip Town Halls, Hold Job Fairs

More than half of lawmakers holding no town hall meetings

(Newser) - Think politicians are just a wee bit spooked by the town hall rebellion of 2009? Leery of facing angry voters, lawmakers are eschewing those events this year, the Christian Science Monitor reports, with half of Republicans and two-thirds of Democrats opting not to hold any during this month's Congressional...

78% of Congress Didn&#39;t Study Business, Economics
78% of Congress Didn't
Study Business, Economics
SAYS REPORT
Aug 24, 2011 1:52 PM CDT

78% of Congress Didn't Study Business, Economics

Yet they're handling the recession

(Newser) - As Congress debates the weighty economic issues of our times, you can rest easy knowing that almost 80% of them didn’t major in business, economics, accounting, or any related field, according to a new study from the Employment Policies Institute. Just 8.4% of legislators studied economics, with another...

Congress Approval Rating: Gallup Poll Shows Just 13% Approve, 84% Disapprove
 Congress' Ever-Dismal 
 Approval Rating: 13%
gallup poll
Aug 16, 2011 7:21 AM CDT

Congress' Ever-Dismal Approval Rating: 13%

And, in a record high, 84% disapprove

(Newser) - Just when you thought Americans couldn't hate Congress any more than they already did ... the approval rating drops to 13% in the latest Gallup poll. That's a tie for the record low; the other time approval dropped to 13% was during the lame duck session in December 2010,...

Feds Can&#39;t Fix Economy: Poll
 Feds Can't Fix Economy: Poll 
Aug 11, 2011 10:58 AM CDT

Feds Can't Fix Economy: Poll

New survey shows many of us agree with S&P

(Newser) - Another day, another poll about how much we hate Congress . This latest poll shows, in particular, that just one in four of us believes the federal government can fix the economy. That's down 21 points from October, notes the Washington Post . And a whopping 71% of respondents believe S&...

What’s Less Popular Than Congress? Not Much...

And it's not like Congress can change its mission statement

(Newser) - How unpopular is Congress today? With approval ratings as low as 14%, the current Congress ranks below human cloning, caning vandals, and—gulp—banks and HMOs, reports the Washington Post . Congress is even liked less than George W. Bush at the lowest ebb of his presidency in 2008. “It’...

Hatred of Congress Hits Historic New Level

For first time, most want their own representative out

(Newser) - "Throw the bums out" is a common refrain about Congress, but people usually apply an important qualifier in the voting booth: Except for my representative. Not this year, apparently. A new CNN poll shows that, for the first time, most Americans think their own member of Congress should get...

No One Wants To Be on Debt 'Super Committee'

Lawmakers say 'not it' as lobbyists chomp at the bit to influence panel

(Newser) - Legislators aren't exactly jumping to volunteer for the 12-man "super committee" created by the debt ceiling deal, which promises to be a thankless and heavily lobbied job, the LA Times reports. “I'm not that much of a glutton for punishment,” says Jon Kyl. “This...

Rep. David Wu to Resign
 Rep. David Wu to Resign 
Jul 26, 2011 11:55 AM CDT

Rep. David Wu to Resign

Oregon Democrat will step down after sex assault accusation

(Newser) - Well, this was probably inevitable: Rep. David Wu has resigned days after being accused of sexual assault (and months after being accused of mental instability and random tiger-suit-wearing ). The Oregon Democrat announced his resignation moments after the state's two Democratic senators called for it, the Oregonian reports. He...

What's Up With Our Ridiculous Bill Titles?

Just try to say any of these five times fast

(Newser) - Remember when bills had simple names like the Civil Rights Act or the Highway Beautification Act? Not any more. Lawmakers are increasingly using these titles as a political tool, saddling bills with cumbersome and partisan names like the Reducing Barack Obama's Unsustainable Deficit Act or the Repealing Ineffective and...

One Trend Among GOP Freshmen: Debt

Not the national kind, the personal kind

(Newser) - Republican freshmen in Congress say they're serious about tackling the US debt—but when it comes to their own personal debt, many have what the Washington Post amusingly calls “a more nuanced view.” At least 30 out of 87 had debts of $50,000 or more last...

Boehner to Obama: You've Got Til Friday to Justify Libya

House speaker warns president he may be violating War Powers Act

(Newser) - President Obama has until Friday to ask Congress for authorization of the US mission in Libya, or he will be in violation of the War Powers Act, John Boehner warned him yesterday. The House speaker, noting that Friday will mark 90 days since the US began attacking Libya as part...

Netanyahu Doesn't Back Down in Speech to Congress

Israeli PM gets very warm welcome on Capitol Hill

(Newser) - Benjamin Netanyahu got a warm welcome on Capitol Hill today, parading into a joint session of Congress with a gaggle of supportive lawmakers and earning applause after nearly every line. He emphasized the positive in US-Israeli relations—despite his recent flap with President Obama —praised the “courageous Arab...

Netanyahu to Unveil Peace Plan in US Speech

Move designed to counter push for Palestinian state

(Newser) - Benjamin Netanyahu will unveil Israel’s version of a Middle East peace plan in a speech before the US Congress next month, he and John Boehner each announced yesterday. The plan is seen as an attempt to push back against Palestine’s current campaign to be recognized as a state...

No. of Reps Who Donated to National Debt in 2010: 3

But even if they gave full salaries, they'd barely make a den

(Newser) - For a bunch of people so concerned with the growing national debt, the House of Representatives doesn't have a lot of members putting their money where their mouths are. The House has program that allows representatives to return a portion of their salaries toward debt reduction (the Senate doesn't even...

Inside Congress' Secret Nuke Bunker

For 30 years, this shelter in W. Virginia was ready to keep gov't running

(Newser) - For more than three decades, one of America's most famous luxury resorts was also home to a secret nuclear bunker for Congress, and now NPR takes a look at the secrets of the Walmart-sized shelter surreptitiously tucked into the hills of West Virginia. It's hidden in plain sight in the...

Freshmen Legislators to Keep an Eye On
10 Freshmen
to Keep an Eye On
112th congress
Jan 5, 2011 7:47 AM CST

10 Freshmen to Keep an Eye On

Class of 2010 is full of characters

(Newser) - There will be plenty of fresh faces in Washington today. But which ones matter most? The Washington Post selects 10 freshman legislators to keep an eye on:
  • Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-NH: One of Sarah Palin's "mama grizzlies," Ayotte defeated a Tea Partier to become the only woman elected
...

Taliban Writes Letter to Congress

'Your military leaders are lying,' states missive

(Newser) - In a brazen bid to squeeze the US out of Afghanistan, the Taliban has written its first "open letter" to Congress detailing why America "can't win" the war. Letter author and Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousaf Ahmadi called on Congress to send a fact-finding mission to Afghanistan. The...

House Votes to Sanction China Over Currency

Bill passes with big majority, but Senate prospects unclear

(Newser) - The House has approved legislation that would allow the US to seek trade sanctions against China and other nations for manipulating their currency to gain trade advantages. The 348-79 vote yesterday sends the measure to the Senate, where its prospects are unclear. Senate supporters hope to get a vote on...

Reid Once Tried to Roll Back Citizenship, Too

Dem wanted to change 14th amendment rules in 1993

(Newser) - When Republicans started pushing to repeal or change the 14th amendment so that the children of illegal immigrants would not be citizens, Harry Reid said they’d “either taken leave of their senses or their principles.” Which is pretty awkward, because in 1993, Reid introduced an immigration reform...

10 Failed Celeb Political Bids
 10 Failed Celeb Political Bids 
Aug 10, 2010 10:47 AM CDT

10 Failed Celeb Political Bids

Wyclef Jean will be in good company if he loses

(Newser) - Wyclef Jean is running for president of Haiti , but already things aren’t going well for the controversy-plagued singer. If he loses, he won’t be the first celebrity to suffer a failed political campaign: Time lists 10 others:
  • Norman Mailer: Despite being a literary giant, the Pulitzer Prize- and
...

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