Congress

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For First Time, Most Members of Congress Are Millionaires

More than half qualify, says new tally

(Newser) - It isn't too much of a stretch to say that John Boehner now presides over a millionaires' club, reports the Center for Responsive Politics . Its analysis of financial disclosure forms reveals that more than half of the members of Congress qualify. Specifically, 268 of the 534 current members had...

Poll: This Congress Is Worst Ever

Two-thirds in CNN poll say this one ranks dead last

(Newser) - Congress is wrapping up a spectacularly unproductive year , as the Huffington Post notes, so why not end the year with a spectacularly dismal public-opinion poll: Enter CNN with a survey that finds two-thirds of Americans think this is the worst Congress in their lifetime. Republican or Democrat, old or young,...

It Might Be Time to Ditch &#39;Checks and Balances&#39;
It Might Be Time to Ditch 'Checks and Balances'
OPINION
Dec 19, 2013 1:24 PM CST

It Might Be Time to Ditch 'Checks and Balances'

Peter Aldhous: Otherwise, don't expect DC's gridlock to change

(Newser) - The political gridlock in DC can't seem to get much worse, and public opinion polls about Congress can't get much lower. At Medium , Peter Aldhous runs through the usual explanations—partisan media outlets, campaign donations run amok, gerrymandering, to name a few—but he thinks those fed up...

Haters Really Hate Democrats: Poll

They're sick of both parties, Obama, but going to vote GOP

(Newser) - Had it up to here with the president and both parties on the Hill? You're a "hater," according to a new poll, and odds are, if there were an election today, you'd vote for a Republican in your House district. Some 72% of haters would choose...

Houses Passes Budget Bill
 House Passes Budget Bill 
Dec 12, 2013 5:28 PM CST

House Passes Budget Bill

2-year deal clears by wide margin; Senate expected to vote next week

(Newser) - The unusual promise of a no-drama, no-shutdown deal on the federal budget just cleared its biggest hurdle: The modest two-year pact negotiated by Paul Ryan of the House and Patty Murray of the Senate cleared the full House of Representatives today by a vote of 332-94, reports the Washington Post...

No Big Winner in Budget Deal
 No Big Winner 
 in Budget Deal 
opinion
Dec 11, 2013 12:32 PM CST

No Big Winner in Budget Deal

But are 'fees' just tax hikes?

(Newser) - A budget deal agreed upon by the House and Senate has come early , and it may prevent another shutdown—but pundits aren't exactly cheering about it. Among the responses:
  • At Slate , Matthew Yglesias says the plan will "improve the economy moderately and it achieves the GOP’s goal
...

House, Senate Negotiators Reach Early Budget Deal

Ryan, Murray replace some sequester cuts

(Newser) - No shutdown drama this time? House and Senate negotiators have reached a budget deal well ahead of the Jan. 15 deadline, reports USA Today . Republican Paul Ryan of the House and Democrat Patty Murray of the Senate announced the $85 billion package this evening, with votes in both chambers expected...

House's Plastic-Gun Ban Has a Dangerous Loophole

It doesn't take into account 3D technology: Eleanor Clift

(Newser) - The good news is that the House yesterday passed in bipartisan fashion a 10-year extension of a law that requires guns to include metal parts, writes Eleanor Clift at the Daily Beast . In theory, then, the measure makes it a lot tougher to smuggle weapons through the metal detectors of,...

Do-Nothing Congress Has Lots to Do This Month

Senate, House will only be in town together for a few days

(Newser) - Here's a list of things Congress must get done in December or else: Confirm Janet Yellen's Fed nomination; pass a new farm bill; fund the Pentagon; renew a ban on hard-to-detect plastic guns; and extend some unemployment benefits, help for workers displaced by global trade, and a set...

Fla. Rep. Pleads Guilty to Coke Charges

Judge gives Florida's Trey Radel a year of probation

(Newser) - Congressman Henry "Trey" Radel pleaded guilty to cocaine possession today, but will avoid jail time. A DC Superior Court judge sentenced the freshman Republican from Florida to one year of probation, and ordered him to receive drug treatment in his home state, the Washington Post reports. Radel had already...

For 2M Jobless, Benefits Set to Dry Up

Congress isn't looking likely to pass an extension

(Newser) - Some 1.3 million Americans could lose their unemployment benefits at the end of the year, with another 850,000 seeing benefits expire in March 2014 if Congress doesn't extend an emergency plan that ends Dec. 31. And though congressional Democrats and the White House are urging an extension,...

Congress' Approval Rating Hits 39-Year Low

Gallup records lowest figure ever

(Newser) - It is hard to get 91% of Americans to agree on anything, but this is nearing unanimous: Congress stinks. Gallup's latest poll pegs Congress' approval rating at 9%, the lowest mark in the 39-year history of Gallup. The number brings 2013's average to 14%, which would be an...

CIA Officials to Testify on Benghazi

House Intelligence subcommittee to hold closed-door hearing

(Newser) - House members may soon know a lot more about what happened during the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi. CIA security officers who were on the scene are set to testify in a closed hearing before a House Intelligence subcommittee, insiders tell CNN . The officers, whose job it was...

Medicare Head on ObamaCare Site: We're Sorry

Marilyn Tavenner is first in White House to testify

(Newser) - The head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the body in charge of HealthCare.gov, offered the administration's first formal apology for the site during testimony in Congress. "To the millions who have tried to use HealthCare.gov, we want to apologize to you," Marilyn...

Another Big GOP Fight Looms: Immigration

Lobbying blitz next week could raise new tensions

(Newser) - Republicans in Congress might still be smarting over the fallout from the shutdown, but the New York Times reports that another potential "schism" for the party is right around the corner—immigration reform. Conservatives vow to block any legislation from passing the House, while John Boehner and others support...

Iran Could Have Bomb in a Month: Report

But negotiators point to progress in talks

(Newser) - In just a month, Iran could have enough weapons-grade uranium to build a nuclear bomb, a US expert says. "Breakout times"—a reference to the period needed to get weapons-grade uranium from low-enriched uranium—"are currently too short and shortening further." The findings, from the Institute...

Irate Voters Ready to Throw the Bums Out

Just 4% say we'd be worse off if every Congressman was replaced

(Newser) - The American people want to see some heads roll in Congress, with new polls out today showing that the shutdown has drastically soured voters on just about everyone. Just 4% of respondents said the country would be worse off if every single congressman were replaced in the 2014 elections, while...

It's Over: House Passes Senate-Backed Deal

Obama signs bill: We need to stop 'governing by crisis'

(Newser) - Federal workers, prepare to rejoin the morning commute. The Senate tonight passed its bill to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling by a vote of 81-18, the AP reports; the House backed the bill 285-144, just hours before the Treasury would have lost its authority to borrow...

Boehner: House Won't Block Senate's Deal

'We fought the good fight; we just didn't win,' says speaker; vote will be tonight

(Newser) - It looks like DC's impasse over the shutdown and debt ceiling will indeed end tonight. John Boehner says the House won't block the deal that emerged from the Senate earlier today, reports the Washington Post . He promised that Republicans would continue to try to rein in ObamaCare and...

As Default Looms, Investors Scurry to Unload US Bonds

Banks steer clear of short-term US debt

(Newser) - Worried over the possibility of default, investors and banks aren't taking chances: They're selling off billions of dollars of US debt, the Wall Street Journal reports. Banks have cut their government debt holdings by some 50% in the past two weeks, New York's Federal Reserve says. Additionally,...

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