Pennsylvania Avenue
Nov. 5, 12 a.m.
Late in the game, Republicans are proposing alternatives to Democratic health care reform, but they’re certainly not being bold.
Congress Inside Out
Nov. 4, 12 a.m.
Unfortunately, because of lead times, I have to write this long before the results of the Tuesday elections are in. So I cannot make intelligent post-dictions, much less stunning predictions, given that at least two of the three big contests — the New Jersey gubernatorial race and New York’s 23rd Congressional district — are as I write too close to call.
Procedural Politics
Nov. 3, 12 a.m.
When physical health system changes collide with fiscal health cost concerns, red ink is spilt. That’s the mess Congress must face in meeting the president’s health care reform standard of not adding one dime to the deficit. The cleanup effort will not end with enactment, but will take decades.
A Question of Ethics
Oct. 27, 12 a.m.
Q: I am a lobbyist with a question about the new restrictions on lobbying for TARP funding. As I understand it, we are now prohibited from talking to government officials regarding any pending funding applications. While this seems a bit onerous, I suppose it is OK so long as everyone is playing by the same rules. However, some of my peers in the field have said that they plan to continue discussing specific projects with government officials by utilizing what they say is a loophole in the new rules. According to them, there is an exception allowing discussions regarding pending applications so long as those discussions take place at a widely attended gathering. I’m not sure about this. I don’t want to break the rules, but I also don’t want to lose out to lobbyists who plan to take advantage of this exception. What do the rules say?
Fiscal Fitness
Nov. 3, 12 a.m.
Wall Street, which supposedly hates uncertainty, was clearly unhappy late last week. On Thursday, in the face of a report showing not just that the economy had stopped declining but that it had actually grown faster than expected in the third quarter, the Dow Jones industrial average rallied by almost 200 points. Then, after a separate report on Friday showed that consumer spending had fallen by an unexpectedly large amount in that same quarter, the market sold off by more than the previous day’s gain as the Dow fell by about 250 points.
Heard on theHill
Bar Brawl
Nov. 5, 12 a.m.
While HOH is sure plenty of Capitol Hill spokesmen have wanted to punch loudmouth reporters every once in a while, we wouldn’t recommend any of them actually slug somebody in real life.
RoadMap
Democrats Continue Hunt for Votes on Health Care
Nov. 3, 12 a.m.
Would you buy something sight unseen?
Neither will many Senate Democrats, which is putting Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and his leadership team in the awkward position of looking for votes on a major health care reform bill that doesn’t quite exist.
CampusNotebook
Verifying Vouchers
Nov. 5, 12 a.m.
The House Administration Committee passed a resolution Wednesday to set guidelines for reimbursement vouchers, paving the way for new standards that will be implemented in January.
MorningBusiness
Better Together
Oct. 29, 12 a.m.
Congress last week passed legislation to add former Congressman and Interior Secretary Stewart Udall’s name to the foundation that was created to honor his brother, the late Rep. Morris Udall (D-Ariz.).
Face Time
Updated: Nov. 3
Find out which Members of Congress have appeared most often on Sunday news shows in 2009.
House
Abortion Compromise in House Tees Up Health Care Reform Vote
Nov. 7, 1:23 a.m.
House Democratic leaders have broken through the abortion impasse holding up their sweeping health care overhaul, a development leadership aides said put Democrats on track to pass the measure on Saturday.
Barney Frank Was at 2007 Drug Bust
Nov. 6, 10:40 p.m.
House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) was present when his partner was arrested for marijuana possession in August 2007, according to a Friday report by MyFoxBoston.
House Republicans to Participate in Saturday Tea Party on Health Care
Nov. 6, 7:15 p.m.
Several House Republicans on Friday called on tea party activists and supporters to join them at the Capitol on Saturday for a third protest of the Democratic health care reform bill and the Obama administration’s agenda.
Owens Supports House Health Care Bill
Nov. 6, 2:49 p.m.
Rep. Bill Owens (D-N.Y.) on Friday ended speculation about whether he supports the House Democratic health care plan: He does.
Weiner Drops Push to Force Vote on ‘Single Payer’ Plan
Nov. 6, 12:40 p.m.
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) is backing off trying to force a vote on a wholesale restructuring of the health care system that would replace employer-based insurance with government-run coverage.
GOP Seizes on Double-Digit Unemployment Figure
Nov. 6, 11:11 a.m.
House Republican leaders on Friday seized on October’s double-digit unemployment rate as proof that Democrats’ economic stimulus legislation has failed and their proposed $1.3 trillion health care overhaul will further sink the economy.
Hoyer: Health Care Vote Could Slip to Sunday or Beyond
Nov. 6, 11:07 a.m.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) is warning action on a health care overhaul could slip past a planned Saturday evening vote into Sunday — or even Monday or Tuesday — if House Republicans employ delaying tactics.
Obama Moves Meeting with House Democrats to Saturday
Nov. 6, 6:52 a.m.
President Barack Obama will meet with the House Democratic Caucus on Saturday instead of Friday to make a last-ditch appeal for health care reform, according to the White House. The White House gave no reason for the change, but the House is expected to vote on the health care bill later in the day or evening on Saturday.
Hispanic Caucus Threatens to Block Health Bill Over Immigration Language
Nov. 5, 6:42 p.m.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) warned President Barack Obama on Thursday that 20 members of her caucus are prepared to vote against the House Democratic health care plan if language restricting the rights of illegal immigrants to buy insurance is added to the bill.
Obama to Emphasize Substance of Health Reform
Nov. 5, 6:41 p.m.
President Barack Obama plans to make a straightforward case for the need for health care reform when he appears before House Democrats on Saturday on Capitol Hill — but he also will mention the importance of simply making some progress on the issue.
Boehner Laughs at Pelosi’s Take on Tuesday’s Election
Nov. 5, 4:58 p.m.
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Thursday dismissed Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) assertion that the two Congressional races won by Democrats in California and New York reflected the mood of the country on health care reform.
House to Meet Saturday at 9 a.m.
Nov. 5, 4:16 p.m.
House Members should be prepared to meet bright and early Saturday to get started in advancing Democrats’ health care reform plan.
House Sends Unemployment Benefits Bill to President
Nov. 5, 3:56 p.m.
After a month’s delay in the Senate, the House on Thursday easily approved an unemployment benefits package that now heads to the president for his signature.
Demonstrators Cause Mayhem Near Pelosi’s Office
Nov. 5, 3:35 p.m.
Pandemonium broke out around 2 p.m. Thursday in the Cannon House Office Building, much of it taking place outside Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office.
Cantor: No GOP Votes for Democratic Health Bill
Nov. 5, 3:32 p.m.
Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) on Thursday offered his seal of approval to the House Republicans’ health care alternative by saying many of the proposal’s principles would find their way into the Senate amendment process, while House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) virtually guaranteed that no House Republican would vote in favor of the Democratic health care bill.
Tea Party Protesters Descend on Capitol
Nov. 5, 2:02 p.m.
House GOP Members welcomed the return of the Tea Party movement to Washington, D.C., on Thursday and pledged to those gathered on the West Lawn of the Capitol to help bring down the House Democratic health care reform bill and derail the Obama administration's agenda.
Ethics Committee Clears Shuler in Tenn. Land Deal
Nov. 5, 1:49 p.m.
The House ethics committee declared in a letter issued late Wednesday that Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) did not violate the chamber’s rules through his involvement in a Tennessee land-swap deal in 2007.
Pelosi: No Decisions Yet on Abortion Language
Nov. 5, 12:19 p.m.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that no decisions have been made yet on whether to include additional language on abortion in the Democratic health care bill or on whether to allow a vote she promised earlier this year on a single-payer substitute authored by Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.).
Garamendi, Owens to Be Sworn In Before Health Care Vote
Nov. 5, 12:12 p.m.
Days before holding a vote on a massive health care overhaul, House Democratic leaders aren’t wasting any time swearing in the newest additions to their party, former California Lt. Gov. John Garamendi and attorney Bill Owens (N.Y.).
AARP Endorses House Health Care Reform Bill
Nov. 5, 11:48 a.m.
AARP, the nation’s largest senior citizens organization and a key stakeholder in the health care debate, on Thursday endorsed the House’s reform bill.
Obama Heads to Capitol on Friday to Lobby House Democrats on Health Reform
Nov. 5, 9:57 a.m.
President Barack Obama is trekking up to Capitol Hill on Friday at 10:30 a.m. to rally support among House Democrats for a sweeping health care overhaul one day before it hits the chamber floor.
House Leaders Press for 218
Nov. 5, 12 a.m.
House Democrats continued to whip their sweeping health care bill Wednesday before a planned Saturday vote, holding around-the-clock meetings to try to finalize abortion language and make other tweaks to the bill.
Five CBC Members Likely to Be Cleared
Nov. 5, 12 a.m.
The House ethics committee is likely to exonerate five members of the Congressional Black Caucus who were accused of taking an improper trip to the Caribbean, according to sources familiar with the case.
Election Doesn’t Faze Moderates
Nov. 5, 12 a.m.
House and Senate Democratic moderates insisted Wednesday that Republican victories in Tuesday’s off-year election would not influence their votes on health care reform.
Members Back GAO Candidate
Nov. 5, 12 a.m.
Rep. Todd Platts (R-Pa.) said Wednesday that his application to become the next comptroller general has the support of several of his colleagues — including the Democrat tasked with orchestrating the search process.
Chun: Cyber Attacks Demand Strong Public-Private Response
Nov. 6, 12:35 p.m.
The federal government is increasingly taking a leadership role in improving the nation’s cybersecurity. But, with a threat that is quickly growing and more sophisticated each day, it’s clear that the government — for all of its good intentions — cannot win this battle without a robust commitment from technology companies. Read Full Article
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