Congress

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After Benghazi, 55% of Posts Still Weak on Security
After Benghazi, 55% of
Posts Still Weak on Security 
new testimony
Feb 15, 2013 1:00 AM CST

After Benghazi, 55% of Posts Still Weak on Security

158 posts may not be up to snuff: state dept. official

(Newser) - Could another Benghazi loom? A State Department official has testified that some 158 diplomatic posts "have facilities that may not fully meet current security standards." That's out of 283 total, undersecretary Pat Kennedy said yesterday. Many "were built or acquired prior to the establishment of the...

Senate Gun Bill May Not Touch Assault Weapons

But Reid camp looking to get measure to floor next month

(Newser) - Senate Democrats are hoping to put a gun control bill on the floor by next month—but it's not likely to include the assault-weapon ban President Obama has urged, a Harry Reid aide tells the Wall Street Journal . Outside of that, however, it would cover most of the measures...

NRA: We'll Fight Universal Background Checks

Assault-weapons ban odds: 'very, very small'

(Newser) - The NRA plans to oppose mandatory background checks on all gun purchases, its president tells USA Today yesterday, rejecting one of the most popular proposals on gun control: the closure of loopholes allowing gun-show purchases without background checks. If the measure, which polls with 85% support, can't get through,...

Washington's Next Brawl: Senate's Budget Plan

Schumer: A 'great opportunity' for new revenues

(Newser) - So the fiscal cliff battle is over, and House Republicans look ready to approve a debt-ceiling increase through March. But taxes aren't out of the spotlight: Now, the stage is set for a tussle over Senate Democrats' budget blueprint, which Dems like Charles Schumer are calling "a great...

Colbert for Congress? Yep—but It's His Sister

Elizabeth Colbert-Busch will run as Democrat in South Carolina

(Newser) - The Colbert-for-president thing may not have panned out, but now Stephen's sister is running for Congress in South Carolina, reports the St. Andrews Patch . And this time's it's no joke. Elizabeth Colbert-Busch will run as a Democrat for the seat being vacated by Tim Scott, who has...

So What Is an Assault Weapon?
 So What Is an Assault Weapon? 
Jan 17, 2013 7:14 AM CST

So What Is an Assault Weapon?

With many Dems ambivalent, gun control faces big obstacles

(Newser) - A key part of President's Obama's gun control agenda is a ban on assault weapons, but both sides of the gun debate can't even agree on what is an assault weapon, much less whether to ban them, reports the New York Times . Gun control proponents generally use...

Inauguration No. 2 Is Zero Cause for Celebration

Ruth Marcus: Joy of 2009 gives way to cynicism of 2013

(Newser) - Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus remembers the thrill of President Obama's first inauguration, the possibility it presented of real change in DC. But she's not getting suckered in this time around. "It has been a long four years since that joyous moment on the Mall,"...

House OKs $50.7B for Superstorm Sandy

Measure goes back to Senate for expected quick approval

(Newser) - The House approved $50.7 billion in emergency relief for the victims of Superstorm Sandy tonight as Republican leaders struggled to close out an episode that exposed party divisions . The 241-180 vote came more than 10 weeks after the storm brutalized parts of the Northeast. The Senate is expected to...

Biden: 19 Ways Obama Can Go It Alone on Gun Control

GOP rep warns of impeachment if Obama opts for executive action

(Newser) - As the White House gears up for a battle over gun control, Joe Biden has presented 19 moves the administration could take on its own. Speaking to House Dems yesterday, he outlined an array of executive actions, including boosting enforcement of current laws, empowering the CDC to research guns, and...

Majority of House GOP Totally Cool With Defaulting

Even more are OK with government shutdown: sources

(Newser) - More than half of House Republicans are OK with a government default if President Obama won't accept their budget-cut demands, party officials tell Politico . Even more GOP lawmakers are willing to allow a government shutdown come March 27. Taking the shutdown route would help ensure "President Obama understands...

Hurry, Mint That Platinum Coin
 Hurry, Mint That Platinum Coin 
Paul krugman
Jan 11, 2013 1:21 PM CST

Hurry, Mint That Platinum Coin

Paul Krugman: It's kind of a joke, but so is the current predicament

(Newser) - Despite facing plenty of blowback from wags, wonks, and politicos over the past week—such as Ezra Klein in the Washington Post —Paul Krugman is continuing his push for the $1 trillion platinum coin option to bypass the looming debt ceiling debate. ( Here's a summary of how...

Poll: Congress More Popular Than Ebola, Kardashians

But not as popular as roaches, Nickelback

(Newser) - Good news for members of Congress bummed out by its 9% approval rating: Public Policy Polling has identified a few things voters like even less. In head-to-head matchups, Congress managed to narrowly beat Lindsay Lohan, telemarketers, and playground bullies. Its margin of victory was wider over the Kardashians, Ebola, meth...

77% Think Washington Politics Do 'Serious Harm'

But slight majority is optimistic about future: poll

(Newser) - Most of America thinks the Washington political process is doing "serious harm" to our country, a USA Today/ Gallup poll finds. Some 77% say so, while just 19% disagree. Republicans feel slightly more strongly that Washington is doing harm, with 87% slamming DC politicians; 79% of independents and 68%...

Quick Debt Ceiling Fix: $1T Coin
 Quick Debt 
 Ceiling Fix: 
 $1T Coin 
paul krugman
Jan 7, 2013 12:33 PM CST

Quick Debt Ceiling Fix: $1T Coin

Or, Obama could just raise limit himself

(Newser) - Think the whole debt-ceiling debate is silly? Paul Krugman does, too, and he's been pushing an admittedly "silly" way out of it. A legal loophole intended for making commemorative coins, he writes in the New York Times , could come in handy: Thanks to the rule, the US Treasury...

House Approves $9.7B in Sandy Storm Aid

Vote comes after delay that enraged New York-area lawmakers

(Newser) - The House has overwhelmingly approved $9.7 billion to pay flood insurance claims for the many home and business owners flooded out by Superstorm Sandy. The vote came more than two months after the storm hit and days after Northeast Republicans erupted over House Speaker John Boehner's decision to...

Boehner Re-Elected as House Speaker

But he suffers several GOP defections

(Newser) - Those rumors of a GOP coup didn't hold up: John Boehner has been re-elected as House speaker with 220 votes, reports the Hill . Unlike his unanimous vote last term, however, 12 conservative GOP lawmakers either voted for someone else, abstained, or voted "present," reports the Washington Post...

Next for Obama: Immigration Reform

Plus: Executive order aims to limit family separations

(Newser) - Despite continued hand-wringing over fiscal policy, President Obama remains on schedule to push for immigration reform this month, an insider tells the Huffington Post . The effort will likely be led by Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who warns that "in the end, immigration reform is going to depend very much...

Goodbye, 112th Congress, We Hardly Liked Ye
Goodbye, 112th Congress,
We Hardly Liked Ye
OPINION
Jan 3, 2013 10:42 AM CST

Goodbye, 112th Congress, We Hardly Liked Ye

Pundits remind us just how do-nothing this Congress has been

(Newser) - Today sees the end of the 112th Congress and the start of the 113th , and that has a few pundits shedding a tear—from laughing so hard at how futile and ridiculous this last wave of Congress has been. Among the adieus to the 112th:
  • Gail Collins, the New York
...

112th Congress Punts on Sandy Aid Bill

Boehner sparks outrage by tabling vote on $60.4B in FEMA aid

(Newser) - The 112th Congress may have squeaked through a deal on the fiscal cliff , but shortly afterward John Boehner announced that it won't be voting on a $60.4 billion FEMA aid package for victims of Hurricane Sandy, reports USA Today . Though the Senate passed the bill and the House...

There's Hope: 'Major Progress' on Fiscal Cliff

But sticking points exist after flurry of overnight negotiations

(Newser) - So just where are we on the fiscal cliff? After Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid hit an impasse yesterday , McConnell called in Joe Biden, and after a flurry of offers that included President Obama and went throughout the night, Politico finds "major progress" and reason for hope this morning....

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