By
John Stanton, Meredith Shiner
| Feb. 8, 2012, 7 p.m.
GOP leaders Wednesday launched a coordinated assault on the Obama administration's controversial birth control rule, accusing the White House of trampling on religious freedoms and vowing to overturn the new rule.
By
Neda Semnani
| Feb. 8, 2012, 2:28 p.m.
On Monday, HOH reported that the New Jersey delegation was being a bit salty to their New York brethren, and today, it appears, the cross-Hudson rivalry heated up.
By
Kate Tummarello
| Feb. 8, 2012, 1:28 p.m.
James Lloyd, who represented the 35th district of California from 1975-1981, died Feb. 2 following a Jan. 22 car accident in Florida.
By
Humberto Sanchez
| Feb. 8, 2012, 1:02 p.m.
With the Feb. 29 expiration of the payroll tax break bearing down and other business to get through, Senate Democrats could skip their scheduled Presidents Day recess, which is set to begin Feb. 17.
By
Jonathan Strong
| Feb. 8, 2012, 12:46 p.m.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is ripping the House version of a major reform bill released late Tuesday, calling it “astonishing” that House GOP leaders would drop a provision requiring “political intelligence” consultants to register as lobbyists.
By
Warren Rojas
| Feb. 8, 2012, 12:44 p.m.
Cheflebrity Spike Mendelsohn, one of the local burgermeisters actively sought out by certain residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., is rolling out new gourmet chocolate bars modeled after the signature milkshakes mixed up at Good Stuff Eatery.
By
John Stanton, Meredith Shiner
| Feb. 8, 2012, 12:30 p.m.
Speaker John Boehner today attacked the Obama administration’s efforts to force religious hospitals and universities to provide employees with insurance that covers contraceptives, arguing the controversial rule “constitutes an unambiguous attack on religious freedom in our country.”
Neda Semnani
| Feb. 8, 2012, 12:01 a.m.
Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was spotted this week gabbing away on his awesome retro handset. When we spoke to him about his cool new toy, which looks pretty much like grandma’s surviving landline, he walked us through how to find it on the Internet.
By
Jonathan Strong
| Feb. 8, 2012, Midnight
Even while Congress sprints to pass a major reform bill that gained momentum following one media exposé, the hits keep coming. And the volatile public mood is greasing the skids for the House to pass the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, legislation codifying a ban on insider trading by Members.
By
Emma Dumain
| Feb. 8, 2012, Midnight
The National Right to Life Committee has named its top legislative priority for 2012: passing a bill sponsored by an Arizona Republican that would ban abortions after 20 weeks in Washington, D.C.
By
Daniel Newhauser, Meredith Shiner
| Feb. 8, 2012, Midnight
Members of the payroll conference committee fought to a draw in their fourth public meeting Tuesday, making no progress toward finding a way to pay for a payroll tax holiday and dimming the prospects that a deal can be struck by the month’s end.
By
John Stanton, Humberto Sanchez
| Feb. 8, 2012, Midnight
With the House and Senate continuing to mark up their competing transportation spending plans this week, House GOP leaders are looking for the magic formula that will get them the 218 Republican votes needed for passage.
Neda Semnani
| Feb. 8, 2012, Midnight
Several Italianophiles will be protesting Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) in front of the Capitol today and Thursday.
By
Humberto Sanchez
| Feb. 8, 2012, Midnight
Looking to test Republicans’ resolve to block nominations, Senate Democrats are planning to hold votes on judicial and administration picks before the Presidents Day holiday.
By
Meredith Shiner
| Feb. 8, 2012, Midnight
Senate Democrats are set to meet at Nationals Park today to discuss their 2012 political strategy, but they will have to find agreement on which issues to highlight and how to balance the president’s priorities against their own.
Warren Rojas
| Feb. 7, 2012, 11:59 p.m.
Congressional watchdog Daniel Imhoff is so primed and ready to join this year’s farm bill fray that he’s firing the opening salvo, updating his exhaustive examination of the last agri-political showdown in anticipation of this year’s legislative retooling. Imhoff, who delved deep into the weeds of the 2008 farm bill negotiations, is returning to the food policy trenches with another edition of “Food Fight: The Citizen’s Guide to the Next Food and Farm Bill.” He’ll be chewing the proverbial fat and signing copies of the annotated tome at the flagship Busboys & Poets (2021 14th St. NW) at 6:30 p.m. Monday.
By
Emma Dumain
| Feb. 7, 2012, 7:27 p.m.
A House committee approved a bill today that would shorten the window between the opening of a vacancy on the D.C. Council and when a special election can be held to fill it.
By
John Stanton
| Feb. 7, 2012, 7:12 p.m.
Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) called on leadership today to include a permanent ban on earmarks in a popular ethics reform measure working its way through the House.
By
Emma Dumain
| Feb. 7, 2012, 6:57 p.m.
Federal workers would have to contribute more of their wages to their retirement benefits under a plan advanced today by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
By
Humberto Sanchez
| Feb. 7, 2012, 4:03 p.m.
Frank Martin Cushing, a devoted Congressional staffer for more than 30 years, died at his home in Falls Church, Va., on Monday from sudden and aggressive brain cancer. He was 59.
