Roll Call
CQ Roll Call May 18, 2013

Defense & Foreign Policy Archive

Obama Defends Battle Against National Security Leaks

President Barack Obama defended his administration’s effort to stamp out national security leaks amid the controversy over the seizure of Associated Press phone records by the Justice Department.

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Rubio Questions State Department's Enforcement of Human Trafficking Laws

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is raising questions about whether the State Department is failing to enforce human trafficking provisions when it comes to foreign dignitaries on U.S. soil, in the wake of recent allegations of human slavery against a Saudi diplomat in Washington.

A Study of Contrasts in Military Funding | Commentary

Recently, the Department of Defense released its annual report to Congress on China’s military capabilities and activities. Providing valuable information to Congress about China’s military, the report comes at an important time for Congress as it grapples with difficult decisions about defense cuts brought about by the sequester.

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Chambers Prepare for Another Round of Iran Sanctions

After a temporary lull, Congress is gearing up to try to pass new Iran sanctions legislation in the coming months that could severely restrict whole segments of Iranian commerce, including oil. The aim is to have votes in both chambers as early as June, with a consensus bill moving to the president’s desk before the August recess.

Obama Calls IRS Scrutiny of Conservatives 'Outrageous,' Dismisses Benghazi Dispute as 'Sideshow'

President Barack Obama said it would be “outrageous” if the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative groups and that he would hold the agency accountable, while angrily dismissing the new reports last week over the editing of Benghazi talking points by his administration as a “sideshow” trumped up by his political opponents.

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Pressure Building to Address Military Sexual Assault in Defense Bill

Lawmakers from both parties on Thursday expressed optimism that they could work with the White House on a number of legislative proposals aimed at getting the military’s growing epidemic of sexual assault under control.

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Partisanship Fuels Competing Narratives Over Benghazi Attack

New evidence revealed on Capitol Hill on Wednesday suggested senior State Department officials were involved in key decisions prior to the lethal attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, last September and the mischaracterizations of that attack afterward.

US Must Move Beyond CISPA for Cybersecurity | Commentary

With the passage of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act by the House, Congress has taken a very important step to increase the nation’s cybersecurity posture. But let’s remember something critical — it’s just one step.

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Past Base Closings Raise Questions About Future

In the past, the Pentagon has been able to convince skeptical lawmakers to authorize rounds of base closures by promising significant savings.

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Could More Base Closures Be on the Way?

When the Pentagon last year asked Congress to initiate a base closure process, powerful lawmakers such as Michigan Democrat Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told the military it needed to look for cuts in Europe before lawmakers would consider cuts at home.

U.S. and Others Must Address Unresolved Conflict and Unmet Demands in International Law | Commentary

Over the past two decades, our region has lived through an amazing transformation. From deeper Euro-Atlantic integration — and in a remarkable breakthrough, Azerbaijan has joined the United Nations Security Council — to major energy and infrastructure projects on global scales to Azerbaijan’s rapid economic development to Baku’s incredible makeover, the progress has been simply astounding.

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Obama Challenges Congress on Its Refusal to End Sequester

President Barack Obama chided Congress Tuesday for failing first to prevent, and now to stop, the sequester and defended his decision to sign a legislative fix carved for the Federal Aviation Administration to prevent air traffic delays.

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Obama Spars With Lindsey Graham on National Security

At Tuesday’s presidential news conference, a national security disagreement between President Barack Obama and Sen. Lindsey Graham took center stage.

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Durbin Accepts Endorsement From Pro-Peace, Pro-Israel J Street

Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, accepted an endorsement Monday from J Street, the pro-Israel lobby and political action committee whose moderate positions on Middle East peace have clashed with those of the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Jewish PACs that follow its hard-line political directives.

Russell: Crazy Kim and the Tippy Twos

Kim Jong Un certainly seems crazy. But sound mind isn’t a requirement for predictable action. Tyrants often mask steady goals with wild behavior. One need only think of world pests like Fidel Castro and Saddam Hussein to realize entire regions can be thrust into unwanted global crises.

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Biden Backs Public Disclosure of Torture Report

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said Friday night that he supports making a classified Senate Intelligence Committee report on torture and enhanced interrogation more available to the public.

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Lawmakers Split on Next Steps After Syria's Alleged Use of Chemical Weapons

The White House’s assessment of Syria’s likely use of chemical weapons in its civil war has intensified calls on Capitol Hill for more aggressive U.S. intervention there, but lawmakers are far from agreeing on what any greater American role would look like.

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Harry Reid Prods Rand Paul on Immigration

Sen. Rand Paul’s latest entry into the immigration debate has drawn a measured response from the top Senate Democrat.

First Ricin Suspect Cleared by Feds

Hours after a suspect being held in connection with sending a ricin-laced letter to Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., was released from custody, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the case against him entirely.

Lawmakers Weigh In on How to Question Bombing Suspect

Congressional lawmakers continued the debate over how to legally handle the Boston bombing suspect on the Sunday talk show circuit, as new details about the accused brothers continued to trickle out.

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