Capitol Briefing

Lieberman: Committee investigation of Fort Hood to go forward

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:09:46 -0500

By John Amick The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will seek to move forward on an investigation surrounding the mass shooting Thursday at Fort Hood Army base in Texas, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), the committee's chairman, said today. The chairman said the scope of the probe would address the motives of the alleged shooter Army Maj. Nidal M. Hasan and whether signs of "Islamic extremism" were apparent, but missed or ignored. "It's premature to reach conclusions about what motivated Hasan," Lieberman said on "Fox News Sunday" this morning. "But it's clear that he was, one, under personal stress and, two, if the reports that we're receiving of various statements he made, acts he took, are valid, he had turned to Islamist extremism." Lieberman said if the shootings were fueled by such viewpoints it was the worst act of terrorism in America since the attacks of September

The House health care debate: What to watch for

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500

By Paul Kane The House has officially begun debate on President Obama's massive health-care proposal, with a final vote likely to come some time after 8 p.m. Several key moments have already occured, while a few more are in the offing, providing a glimpse of what the outcome will look like once all the votes are tallied. With not a single Republican expected to support the legislation, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) needs at least 218 of the 258 Democrats -- about 85 percent of the caucus -- to vote yes to reach victory. Here's an insider's guide to the day's big moments: * Opening Gavel: Democratic leaders had hoped the day's session to begin around 9 a.m. Saturday, about an hour earlier than most legislative sessions start, but they first took up a few non-controversial, unrelated pieces of legislation. According The Post's Sketch maven Dana Milbank, the formal health-care

Democrats to resolve abortion impasse on the House floor

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:07:05 -0500

Updated 1:29 a.m. By Lori Montgomery House Democratic leaders agreed Friday night to settle an impasse over abortion by letting the entire House vote on a proposed solution, a risky decision that could determine the fate of their trillion-dollar overhaul of the nation's health care system. Under the agreement, anti-abortion Democrats will be permitted to offer an amendment on the House floor to the health-care overhaul bill. The amendment would prohibit a new government-run insurance plan created by the health-care bill from offering to cover abortion services, congressional sources said. It would also block people who received federal subsidies for the purchase of health insurance from buying policies that offered coverage for abortions. The deal clears the way for the dozens of Democratic lawmakers who oppose abortion to lend their support to the health care package, the most dramatic expansion of health coverage in more than 40 years. It also

Ethics committee says Rep. Harman is not under scrutiny

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:20:58 -0500

By Paul Kane The ethics committee is not investigating Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), whose conversation with an Israeli operative four years ago drew scrutiny from the Justice Department and for a time from the committee. The committee's top lawmakers assured Harman that there is no investigation in a letter Wednesday, a week after The Washington Post reported that Harman was one of nearly three dozen lawmakers whose activities were under scrutiny by the committee and the new Office of Congressional Ethics. "While the committee does not confirm or elaborate on media reports, the committee is not conducting an investigation regarding your conduct," wrote Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), the panel's chairman, and Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.), its ranking member. On June 9, the ethics committee approved subpoenas to the Justice Department, FBI and National Security Agency for "certain intercepted communications," a reference to Harman's call to the Israeli operative, according to

Congress passes bill extending unemployment insurance, home buyer tax credit

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:59:01 -0500

By Perry Bacon Jr. and Dina ElBoghdady Congress on Thursday completed final approval of a bill that includes several measures designed to spur the economy and help people who have lost their jobs, representing its latest intervention as the country suffers through its worst recession in decades. The $24 billion bill, which the White House said President Obama will sign on Friday, would provide unemployment benefits of least 14 weeks for people out of work. Those in the more than two dozen states with unemployment rates above 8.5 percent would receive up to 20 weeks of the benefits. The legislation would also extend through April 30 a $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit that was passed earlier this year. Another provision allows businesses that had operating losses in 2008 and 2009 to seek refunds for taxes paid on profits over the past five years. It passed in the House on

Ethics committee clears Rep. Shuler

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:08:29 -0500

By Ben Pershing The House ethics committee has informed Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) that he has been cleared of wrongdoing and is no longer under investigation by the panel for allegations that a real estate development in which he invested may have received preferential treatment from a government agency. Shuler, the former Washington Redskins quarterback who was elected to Congress in 2006, had previously been part of a probe by the Tennessee Valley Authority's Inspector General because of his investment in a real estate development called the Cove at Blackberry Ridge near Knoxville. According to a letter sent to Shuler Wednesday by the ethics committee, that IG investigation "could not find any evidence that you violated any ethics rules." And after its own "thorough review," the committee said it "has determined that your actions in these matters were not improper in any way and did not violate House rules." In

Nine arrested in Hart Building ahead of health care protest

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:53:40 -0500

Updated 12:51 p.m. By Philip Rucker As thousands of activists converged on the lawn of the Capitol for a midday rally against Democrats' health-care reform legislation, Capitol Police arrested nine protesters Thursday morning in the Hart Senate Office Building. The protesters were arrested about 10 a.m. on the seventh floor of the Hart Building and were charged with unlawful entry, a Capitol Police spokeswoman said. "They were inside an office and didn't leave," Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said. A noon rally was scheduled for the steps of the Capitol in protest of the health-reform bill that House Democrats plan to take up for a floor vote Saturday. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is leading the "Hands Off Our Health Care!" rally and has said she plans to lead protesters through congressional office buildings for a series of "House calls" orchestrated to intimidate members against voting for health-care reform.

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Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:53:40 -0500

AARP endorses House health-care bill

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:44:53 -0500

By Lori Montgomery The AARP, the nation's largest and most influential association of older Americans, endorsed the House health-care bill Thursday morning and vowed to lobby House members in advance of Saturday's historic vote. AARP vice president Nancy A. LeaMond said the House package, which would spend more than $1 trillion over the next decade to expand insurance coverage to millions of Americans who lack it, meets the group's chief goals for reform, including strengthening Medicare, the federal health program for people over 65. "We can say with confidence that it meets our priorities for protecting Medicare, providing more affordable health insurance for 50- to 64-year-olds and reforming our health care system," LeaMond said in a briefing for reporters. LeaMond praised House leaders for including a plan to close the coverage gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage known as the donut hole. Key Democrats said the endorsement, one of several

Today on the Hill

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:50:10 -0500

The Senate convenes at 9:30 a.m. ET. There will be 40 minutes for debate with respect to H.R. 2847, Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations. At 12:15, the Senate will proceed to a cloture vote on the committee reported substitute amendment to H.R. 2847. The House meets at 10:00 a.m. for legislative business. The House will begin consideration of H.R. 2868, the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009. For a list of Congressional committee hearings, visit Today in Congress. Visit our Votes Database for more information on the House and Senate, including vote history and member profiles.

Senate Democrats ready to pass climate bill Thursday despite GOP boycott, sources say

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:15:35 -0500

By Juliet Eilperin Senate Democrats are likely to pass their climate bill out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee without amendments Thursday, several sources familiar with the plan said Wednesday night. Facing an ongoing Republican boycott of the committee's markup of the bill, the panel's chairman, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), is considering reporting out the measure with a simple majority, the sources said. That move would not require the presence of two minority members, which is traditionally required for a markup. Republican senators have defended the boycott, saying that they should not act on the bill -- sponsored by Boxer and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) -- until they get a more extensive analysis of it from the Environmental Protection Agency. David McIntosh, associate administrator for EPA's office of congressional and intergovernmental relations, testified before the panel Tuesday that such a study would cost $135,000 and would take 1,600

Budget analysts say GOP bill would do little to expand health insurance coverage

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:44:33 -0500

By Lori Montgomery The long-awaited Republican entry in the health care debate received its assessment late Wednesday from congressional budget analysts, who concluded that the proposal would barely dent the ranks of the uninsured. The measure would cover only 3 million additional people at a cost of $60 billion through 2019, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. It would leave more than 52 million Americans uninsured a decade from now. "The share of legal nonelderly residents with insurance coverage in 2019 would be about 83 percent, roughly in line with the current share," CBO director Douglas Elmendorf wrote in a letter to House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). The costs of coverage would be more than offset by other provisions, reducing projected budget deficits by $68 billion by 2019. Boehner plans to offer the proposal as an alternative to the Democratic package when the House

Senate passes bill extending homebuyer tax credit, unemployment benefits

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:30:38 -0500

Updated 7:22 p.m. By Perry Bacon Jr. The Senate on Wednesday approved a bill that extends several measures designed to spur the economy and help people who have lost their jobs, including a provision that will extend unemployment benefits for up to 20 weeks in states with high unemployment rates. It represented Congress's latest intervention to help the country through its worst recession in decades. The bill, which passed 98 to 0, is likely to be approved by the House on Thursday and then be rapidly signed by President Obama. It would provide unemployment benefits of at least 14 weeks for people out of work, while those in the more than two dozen states with unemployment rates above 8.5 percent would receive up to 20 weeks of benefits. The measure would also extend through April 30 a $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit and create a new $6,500 credit for homebuyers

Kerry, Graham, Lieberman announce a "dual track" on the climate bill

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:27:25 -0500

By David A. Fahrenthold Even before a Senate committee could begin marking up the "Kerry-Boxer" climate bill, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) himself announced a new "track" of negotiations over climate policy that makes his original bill look somewhat irrelevant. Kerry, appearing at the U.S. Capitol with Sens. Lindsay O. Graham (R-S.C.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), said the three legislators would work with business groups and the White House to forge a compromise climate measure that could get 60 votes in the Senate. These negotiations would be separate from the work that six different Senate committees are doing on climate legislation, including the markup that the Environment and Public Works committee was supposed to begin Tuesday, the senators said. Republican committee members, demanding more Environmental Protection Agency analysis of the bill's impacts, are boycotting that markup, so progress on the legislation has stalled. Kerry said that the senators were

NY-23 and the blame game

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0500

NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions couldn't keep NY-23 in the red column. (AP Photo/LM Otero). By Ben Pershing As top Republicans busily gloated Wednesday over the party's convincing victories in New Jersey and Virginia, there was one GOP leader who wasn't holding any press conferences -- Rep. Pete Sessions (Texas). As chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Sessions was the man in charge of keeping New York's 23rd district in the GOP column, where it's been for more than a century. But Democrat Bill Owens managed to win the seat instead, besting Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman and thereby marring Republicans' otherwise triumphant storyline. So how much was Sessions really to blame for the saga in upstate New York, where Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava dropped out under pressure from conservatives and ended up endorsing Owens? Interviews with several GOP lawmakers and party strategists Wednesday suggested that Sessions' colleagues don't hold him

Today on the Hill

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:19:45 -0500

The Senate convenes at 9:30 a.m. ET and will resume consideration of H.R.3548, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009. The House meets at 10:00 for legislative business. The House will address H.R. 3639, the Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of 2009. For a list of Congressional committee hearings, visit Today in Congress. Visit our Votes Database for more information on the House and Senate, including vote history and member profiles.