US Congress

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Burning Trash Made Us Sick: Troops

Hundreds sue contractors running burn pits

(Newser) - Hundreds of service members and employees of Kellogg Brown & Root have filed lawsuits against the contractor, which burns vast amounts of trash on US bases in Afghanistan and Iraq, saying the thick smoke from the burn pits has made them sick. KBR operates more than two dozen of the...

Robert Byrd Hospitalized; Senator, 92, 'Seriously Ill'

West Virginia lawmaker is longest-serving member of Congress

(Newser) - Robert Byrd, the Democratic senator from West Virginia who last fall became the longest-serving member of Congress, is hospitalized and in serious condition, his office tells MSNBC . The 92-year-old was admitted last week with what was believed to be a heat-related illness, but "other conditions have developed which has...

Obama Shows Congress Who's Boss
Obama Shows Congress
Who's Boss 
analysis
May 17, 2010 5:12 PM CDT

Obama Shows Congress Who's Boss

President takes more hands-on approach to legislation

(Newser) - President Obama is growing more assertive on Capitol Hill. Since he took office, the president's supporters have criticized him for not exerting enough control over the details of legislation, instead letting Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi hammer out specifics—even on major administration goals, like the health care bill. On...

Congress Arms Finance Reform With Big Guns

Unlike health care, bill is anything but watered down

(Newser) - After the pinball-esque drubbing health reform took before Congress spit it out, it's Wall Street's turn. But, reports Politico , the financial reform bill making its way through the Capitol is actually picking up fangs rather than being rendered toothless. Democrats know they have the wind at their backs, Republicans can't...

Dems Get Mojo Back: Here Comes Financial Reform
Dems Get Mojo Back: Here Comes Financial Reform
analysis
Mar 26, 2010 12:25 PM CDT

Dems Get Mojo Back: Here Comes Financial Reform

Suddenly, it looks like smooth sailing for Dodd's bill

(Newser) - Health care has given the White House and Democrats a serious dose of momentum, and it looks as though that will result in easy passage of a stronger-than-expected financial reform bill. Republicans are backing off, and Democrats are sticking together to fend off Wall Street lobbyists who assumed they could...

5 Myths About Health Bill Passage
 5 Myths About 
 Health Bill Passage 
analysis
Mar 21, 2010 4:08 PM CDT

5 Myths About Health Bill Passage

Americans aren't undecided, and the public option was DOA: Cillizza

(Newser) - With health care reform seemingly headed for passage now that Bart Stupak's on board, Chris Cillizza looks back at the debate and finds five persistent arguments with little or no grounding in reality.
  • Scott Brown was a game-changer: "Yes and no," Cillizza writes for the Washington Post . Lacking
...

John Murtha Dead at 77
John Murtha Dead at 77
Feb 8, 2010 2:02 PM CST

John Murtha Dead at 77

Powerful Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania was early opponent of Iraq War

(Newser) - Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, a retired Marine Corps officer who became an outspoken critic of the Iraq war, has died after suffering complications from gallbladder surgery. The powerful Democrat, a close ally of speaker Nancy Pelosi, was 77. In 1974, Murtha became the first combat veteran of the Vietnam...

Obama Readies $3.8T Budget With Record $1.6T Deficit

Record shortfall in current fiscal year would shrink to $1.3T in 2011

(Newser) - President Obama's proposed budget predicts the national deficit will crest at a record-breaking $1.6 trillion in the current fiscal year, then start to recede in 2011 to $1.3 trillion, a congressional official said today. The new budget, out tomorrow, says deficits over the next decade will average 4....

Obama Bites Off More Than He Can Chew
Obama Bites Off More Than He Can Chew
analysis
Dec 27, 2009 4:25 PM CST

Obama Bites Off More Than He Can Chew

Solid first year falls short of president's ambitious agenda

(Newser) - In his first year in office, President Obama has done a more-than-acceptable job—but his own stated ambitions were so numerous and wide-ranging that by his own definition, his performance has been disappointing. The bar was simply set too high, writes Doyle McManus for the Los Angeles Times , "and...

Why Congress Can Boss Big-Time Sports Around
Why Congress Can Boss Big-Time Sports Around
interstate commerce
Dec 10, 2009 1:00 PM CST

Why Congress Can Boss Big-Time Sports Around

BCS playoff bill the latest in a long line of similar measures

(Newser) - A House subcommittee ushered through a bill that would keep the BCS from billing its title game as the “national championship,” unless the NCAA institutes a playoff system. Where does Congress get off telling college administrators what to do? Well, sports are considered interstate commerce, according to the...

Robert Byrd Now Longest-Serving Legislator Ever

By the senator's count, his career spanned 20,774 days

(Newser) - West Virginia Sen. Robert C. Byrd has become the longest-serving lawmaker in congressional history, a milestone to be marked today with a Senate resolution. "I look forward to serving you for the next 56 years and 320 days," Byrd said, adding that he was sorry his late wife...

Obama Lifts HIV+ Travel Ban
 Obama Lifts HIV+ Travel Ban 
Oct 30, 2009 1:25 PM CDT

Obama Lifts HIV+ Travel Ban

President extends bill funding care for low-income HIV/AIDS patients

(Newser) - HIV-positive individuals will no longer be banned from visiting or immigrating to the US, President Obama announced today. The president discussed the revocation of the ban, which has stood since 1987, at today's signing of an extension of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS bill. That bill provides funding for HIV/AIDS testing...

57% in Poll Back Public Option

Last-resort state-run plans gain 76% backing

(Newser) - A majority of Americans, 57%, support including a public option in health care reform legislation, according to a newly released poll. The public option had the backing of just 52% in a mid-August survey. Forty percent of respondents oppose the public option. And giving people who have no affordable alternatives...

Obama's Gandhi Act Ties Supporters in Knots
Obama's Gandhi Act Ties Supporters in Knots
OPINION
Sep 18, 2009 2:03 PM CDT

Obama's Gandhi Act Ties Supporters in Knots

President seeks a fundamental change in our political discourse: Goodman

(Newser) - Even President Obama's fans are beginning to wonder when—or even if—his "inner fighter" is going to emerge, writes Ellen Goodman of the Boston Globe. His collaborative style entranced many during the campaign, but supporters are groaning as the president listens calmly to the opposition rather than putting...

Economy Wallops Lawmakers' Fortunes

Combined, members of Congress sough off hundreds of millions

(Newser) - The 50 richest members of Congress are still rich, but their personal finances show they’re not immune to the economic downturn, Roll Call reports. Together, the pols on the list have lost $275 million in personal wealth since 2007. In 2008, the legislators' combined assets of $1.3 billion...

Wilson YouTube Video Sparks $200K Haul

But 'You lie' rep's foe raises $750K, leads in poll

(Newser) - Joe Wilson has raised more than $200,000 since he shouted "you lie" during President Obama's speech Wednesday—but his Democratic opponent has pulled in more than three times as much, CNN reports. Even worse for the Republican, opponent Rob Miller leads the incumbent, 44%-43%, in a poll conducted...

Leave Wilson Alone: Parker
 Leave Wilson Alone: Parker 



OPINION
Sep 11, 2009 9:38 AM CDT

Leave Wilson Alone: Parker

Outbursts par for the course in partisan politics

(Newser) - After Joe Wilson's “you lie” outburst, we may need to add “Joewilsoning” to the lexicon, as in, “OMG, he Joewilsoned right in the middle of the sermon!” writes Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post. Still, the reaction to the outburst seems a wee bit overblown. Wilson...

'You Lie' Rep Essentially Right
 'You Lie' Rep 
 Essentially Right 



OPINION
Sep 10, 2009 1:56 PM CDT

'You Lie' Rep Essentially Right

Joe Wilson not wrong about Obama wanting to insure illegals

(Newser) - Give Joe Wilson a break. It’s hard to fit the complexities of policy into an outburst during a presidential address, but the South Carolina congressman has a point: If you connect two of President Obama’s top policy priorities, he does want to give insurance to illegal immigrants. It’...

Obama Speech Effective, No Game-Changer
Obama Speech Effective, No Game-Changer
OPINION
Sep 10, 2009 12:01 PM CDT

Obama Speech Effective, No Game-Changer

Vitriol surrounding health care debate sure to continue

(Newser) - President Obama’s speech last night will probably prod Congress into passing health care reform, writes Joe Klein in Time. “But it will not end the public malignancy that has attended this debate, and threatens the democratic fabric of our nation.” Klein attended an Arkansas town hall recently...

To Dodge Obamacare, Turn Amish (or Mennonite)
To Dodge Obamacare, Turn Amish (or Mennonite)
analysis
Aug 3, 2009 1:56 PM CDT

To Dodge Obamacare, Turn Amish (or Mennonite)

Measure based on tax laws aimed at Amish

(Newser) - Backers of health care reform on Capitol Hill want a plan that mandates insurance for all—but they appear willing to bend the rules for some religious Americans, Maura Reynolds of CQ Politics reports. Current legislation contains a religious exemption based on tax laws meant to give leeway to the...

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