Congress

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Keep These Debt Talks Behind Closed Doors

Transparency would reward special-interest groups: Joshua Green

(Newser) - The "super committee" that will try to find $1.5 trillion in agreed-upon cuts is nearly in place , and there's a growing sentiment that their negotiations should be open to the public. "That's an absolutely terrible idea," writes Joshua Green at the Atlantic . Only special-interest...

Poll: We Hate Congress More Than Ever

Approval dives below 20%

(Newser) - The debt ceiling mess has pushed Congress' already dismal approval ratings into the abyss, according to the latest New York Times / CBS poll. Some 82% of Americans don't approve of the way Congress is doing its job, the lowest rating since the Times started asking the question in...

So What's in the Debt Deal? Ezra Klein Explains
 So What's in the Debt Deal? 
explaining the 'trigger'
Aug 1, 2011 10:51 AM CDT

So What's in the Debt Deal?

$1T in cuts now with more later—and a 'trigger' to ensure a second deal

(Newser) - No revenues, big budget cuts—what exactly is in the debt-ceiling deal? Ezra Klein sums it up in the Washington Post : $1 trillion in immediate cuts with at least $1.5 trillion more to come; a vote on a balanced budget amendment; and an immediate $900 billion increase to the...

Bachmann Skips Iowa Stops to Vote 'No' on Debt Deal

'Someone has to say no. I will'

(Newser) - Michele Bachmann is taking a break from the stump to vote against the debt deal. “Someone has to say ‘no.’ I will,” she said in a statement issued last night. “The 'deal' ... spends too much and doesn't cut enough,” she said. “...

Mitch McConnell, Tea Party, President Obama Winners in Debt Deal: Chris Cillizza
 Debt Deal's 
 Winners 
 and Losers 
analysis
Aug 1, 2011 7:57 AM CDT

Debt Deal's Winners and Losers

Mitch McConnell, Tea Party at the forefront: Chris Cillizza

(Newser) - The debt-deal dust has yet to settle, but that's not stopping anyone from analyzing its political consequences. In the Washington Post , Chris Cillizza notes the winners:
  • Mitch McConnell was “the Mariano Rivera of the debt deal. He waited until the game was in its final moments, came onto
...

Debt Ceiling: Senate Votes Down Harry Reid's Plan, But Real Deal Still Being Worked On
 Senate Votes Down 
 Reid's Plan 
debt ceiling
Jul 31, 2011 12:48 PM CDT

Senate Votes Down Reid's Plan

But real deal is still being worked on

(Newser) - As expected, the Senate voted today not to move forward with Harry Reid's debt ceiling proposal in a 50-49 vote. The Wall Street Journal notes that the vote was "anti-climactic," since the real work on hammering out a deal by the end of the day is happening...

Sign of Hope? Harry Reid Postpones Debt Vote

It's now scheduled for Sunday afternoon as talks intensify

(Newser) - It's either a sign that a last-minute deal is truly in sight or one last tease: Harry Reid has postponed a 1am procedural vote on his plan to raise the debt ceiling until tomorrow afternoon, reports the Hill . Reid says the delay is intended to give negotiations with Republicans...

McConnell Calls Reid Plan Doomed in Senate
 Tit for Tat: House 
 Rejects Reid Plan 
UPDATED
Jul 30, 2011 2:19 PM CDT

Tit for Tat: House Rejects Reid Plan

Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, says it's doomed in the Senate

(Newser) - It's Harry Reid's turn to hit legislative turbulence. The House today rejected the Senate leader's plan to raise the debt ceiling in a move seen largely as symbolic, reports AP . The real fight, however, is taking place in the Senate, where GOP Minority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered...

Default Deadline in Hands of McConnell, Reid Now

Pressure on Senate leaders to find a way

(Newser) - With all eyes on the Senate this weekend, one name keeps cropping up as pivotal deal-maker: Mitch McConnell. Politico and the Wall Street Journal see the Senate minority leader as key to any potential compromise that could be struck as Harry Reid's bill winds through the Senate. As Democratic...

House Passes Boehner Plan; Senate Rejects It

Harry Reid expected to push his doomed plan now

(Newser) - John Boehner finally got his debt ceiling plan through the House, and it survived all of two hours. The bill passed 218-210 today after the House speaker reworked it to appease Tea Party conservatives. As expected, the Senate promptly tabled it, meaning it is effectively dead. Just after the Senate...

Obama's Approval Rating Hits New Low

Gallup registers him at 40%

(Newser) - President Obama's approval rating has hit an all-time low of 40%, according to Gallup 's daily tracking. The rating has previously dipped to 41%—most recently in April—but it had risen to an average of 46% during the past two months. At one point in June, it...

No Vote Tonight: Boehner Falls Short on Count

House speaker can't push through debt plan

(Newser) - John Boehner could not quell a revolt among conservatives and push his debt plan through the House tonight. House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy announced about 10:30pm EST that no vote would take place. House Republicans had delayed the vote earlier this evening but still expected to get it done...

Boehner Postpones House Vote

He's still trying to round up enough votes

(Newser) - Let the endgame begin: House Republicans say a vote on John Boehner's debt plan will still take place tonight, but the House speaker is apparently having trouble rounding up the necessary votes. Boehner predicted victory earlier today, but he halted debate on the measure about 5pm, reports Politico . Assuming...

Boehner Delays Vote After CBO Says Plan Falls Short

House speaker reworking debt measure to meet projections

(Newser) - John Boehner's debt ceiling plan has had a lousy day: In the latest setback, the Congressional Budget Office says it doesn't cut as much as Boehner thought—the CBO puts the figure at $850 billion over a decade, instead of the $1.2 trillion promised by the House...

Let's Kill the Debt Ceiling— Permanently

Why suffer from 'problems we've created for ourselves'?

(Newser) - All this talk about raising the debt ceiling when the fact is—like almost “every other democratic country”—we shouldn’t have one at all, writes James Surowiecki in the New Yorker . “There’s no debt limit in the Constitution,” and Congress already has a way...

Rep. David Wu to Resign
 Rep. David Wu to Resign 
Jul 26, 2011 11:55 AM CDT

Rep. David Wu to Resign

Oregon Democrat will step down after sex assault accusation

(Newser) - Well, this was probably inevitable: Rep. David Wu has resigned days after being accused of sexual assault (and months after being accused of mental instability and random tiger-suit-wearing ). The Oregon Democrat announced his resignation moments after the state's two Democratic senators called for it, the Oregonian reports. He...

Hill Overwhelmed by Calls After Obama Speech

Congressional websites down, too

(Newser) - Looks like voters are taking President Obama up on his exhortation to call their congressmen. In a speech last night Obama urged Americans to contact their representatives and push them to strike a debt ceiling bargain. By this morning the congressional switchboard was so overwhelmed that it sent an email...

Jon Stewart to Congress: Get the F Out

Train wreck is too 'complicated' to avoid for lame-o crew

(Newser) - Jon Stewart has a message for Congress : If you can't deal with the budget, "Get the F out." Thanks, guys, we're edging "ever closer to self-inflicted economic collapse," says the frustrated comedian. "The 112th Congress has been completely unable to muster a debt...

Ark. Blue Dog Mike Ross Won't Seek Reelection

Right-leaning Dem weighs Arkansas gubernatorial run after 6 House terms

(Newser) - Democrat Mike Ross won’t seek a seventh term in Congress, the Arkansas rep said today. A leader of the Blue Dog Coalition of fiscally conservative Democrats, Ross said he’s considering running for governor in his home state, and another congressional term would conflict with a possible 2014 campaign....

Congress, You Have 3 Options Left
Congress, You Have
3 Options Left
ezra klein
Jul 23, 2011 10:37 AM CDT

Congress, You Have 3 Options Left

Ezra Klein: And it's time to pick one

(Newser) - As President Obama meets this morning with congressional leaders on the debt ceiling, one number matters most of all: Eleven. As in, the number of days until the government defaults, writes Ezra Klein in the Washington Post . With crunch time here, Klein sees three options left, and he says Congress...

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