Three conservative cheers for Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Kelly Ayotte (R–N.H.) for announcing critical opposition to the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST). The LOST is a treaty being pushed by the Obama administration that would bind the U.S. to decisions of a United Nations-sanctioned governing body of the world’s oceans. Conservatives worry that U.S. Senate ratification of the Treaty would lead to an | Read More »
The House is out of session this week. Tthe Senate will be in session to finish work on a bloated two year $109 billion highway bill. Big fight this week on judicial nominations with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) expected to file cloture on about seventeen nominees today. Also, expect a fight when the Senate tries to use a House passed Small-Business bill to pass the | Read More »
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is so terrified of a vote on the President’s American Jobs Act that he used the “Nuclear Option” to block a Senate vote tonight. The Senate was poised to vote on the President’s jobs plan, yet Reid used a tactic to obliterate the legislation without a vote. This is a dangerous game that Senate Democrats play, because Republicans could | Read More »
The Senate commenced debate on a filibuster reform today. Be aware that liberals in the Senate are using strong arm tactics to seize power. They are using something called the “Constitutional Option” and you need to understand that this is a rhetorical and procedural trick. There is nothing unconstitutional about the filibuster and the “Constitutional Option” is a means to ignore the explicit rules of the | Read More »
What do you call the Senate’s Omnibus Spending Bill? An Earmark Bonanza — An Earmark-A-Thon — The Earmark-bus. Clearly, this bill is an outrage to the taxpayer and conservative Senators. The Senate is about to vote on an Omnibus Spending Bill funding the federal government for the year. House and Senate appropriators crafted a bill in secret and, just yesterday, provided text to Senators and the American people. | Read More »
Taxes and spending are on the House and Senate agenda for today. After the Senate passes the President’s tax deal, the House may blow up the compromise by changing the Death Tax. Later this week, Senate appropriators are reportedly trying to sneak through a massive new Omnibus spending bill. They are planning on offering an Omnibus Spending bill as a complete substitute for the Continuing Resolution, a bill to fund the | Read More »
Today starts the race the finish line for the 111th Congress. They can’t get out of town too soon. With breaking news that the invidual mandate is unconstitutional, the big issues this week will be ObamaCare, taxes and the spending issues for the year. The Senate is scheduled to continue debate on a motion to concur with respect to H.R. 4853, the vehicle for the tax compromise. A vote | Read More »
Today is check the box day in the Senate. Votes scheduled on one labor issue, one gay rights issue, one immigration reform issue, one 9/11 health care issue and one Social Security issue. None of the bills dealing with these issues are expected to pass, because all 42 Republican Senators are expected to vote against cloture on all legislative items until the tax issue is | Read More »
The Senate Republican Conference voted to ban earmarks yesterday. A victory for conservatives — Hold on a second. Moments after the announcement some Republicans stated that they would publicly flout the rule and Democrats pledged to fight to protect bloated pork barrel spending. Although the President has pledged his opposition to earmarking, the true test may come soon if Congress sends him an Omnibus spending | Read More »
Not much happening in the House and Senate today. Both parties are conducing elections for leadership positions and amendments to conference rules. It appears as if Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) has won his battle for the Senate Republican Conference to take a 2 year break from earmarking. The House has 6 bills scheduled for a vote on the Suspension Calendar. The Senate is out of | Read More »
One interest group is very upset about Senator Jim DeMint’s (R-SC) plan to force a vote in the Senate Republican Conference for a two year earmark moratorium — Lobbyists. According to The Hill, the lobbying group that represents lobbyists are very angry and worried that the easy money days of earmarking for dollars is over. Yes, even lobbyists have lobbyist in Washington, D.C. The head of the American | Read More »
President Obama is sitting over at the White House praying that Republican Leadership in the Senate defeats Senator Jim DeMint’s (R-SC) earmark ban. Remember when Republicans were hit hard for voting against the Stimulus Plan, then some of them sent letters to the Obama Administration requesting projects? The current earmark debate is turning into a similar political trap and some Senate Republicans are falling for it hook, line and sinker. This debate | Read More »
Americans are hearing the talking point that earmarks don’t cost the taxpayers any money. This simply is not true. Citizens Against Government Waste, a Congressional watchdog group, has put out a report on wasteful projects from Fiscal Year 2010. They identify $16.5 billion in pork. The Congressional Pig Book is CAGW’s annual compilation of the pork-barrel projects in the federal budget. The 2010 Pig Book | Read More »
It didn’t take long for many in Congress to ignore the will of the American people on earmarking special projects for states and districts. The Tea Party movement has a long way to convince members of both parties that the corrupting and wasteful practice of earmarking has to end. Later this month, Senators Jim DeMint (R-SC), John McCain (R-AZ) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) are expected to | Read More »
Taxpayers are against earmarks because they waste money and corrupt the political process. It is that simple. House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) authored an excellent Op Ed in Politico attacking earmarks. Cantor writes today that in March Republicans imposed an earmark moratorium for this Congress — a moratorium that expires on January 3, 2011. Cantor is showing some leadership by calling for the elimination | Read More »
Marc Thiessen of the Washington Post has written an excellent Op Ed titled “Jim DeMint’s courage and Lisa Murkowski’s betrayal.” I highly recommend you read the whole piece. Thiessen wrote in the Post yesterday: The knives were out for Jim DeMint in the Senate last week, as Republicans laid into the South Carolina senator for supporting Tea Party favorite Christine O’Donnell over Rep. Mike Castle | Read More »
Christine O’Donnell is the buzz in Washington, D.C. today. She joins Ron Johnson and Joe Miller as the most recent additions to the Tea Party push for constitutional conservatism in the Capitol. The House has 23 votes scheduled on the Suspension Calendar. The Senate will continue debate on H.R.5297, the Small Business Jobs bill. Cloture was invoked on the bill thanks to Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) giving Democrats the necessary vote | Read More »
So much for President Obama’s promises of economic stimulus. The New York Times reports that moments after the President signed a new law to expand regulation over the financial sector, one business group complained that the new law will discourage job growth. The Business Roundtable complained in a statement that the law “takes our country in the wrong direction” and may discourage investment and job growth, echoing | Read More »
Rahm Emanuel on November 19, 2008 in a Wall Street Journal video product 2008 Shaping the New Agenda uttered the now famous words: “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. What I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.” Evidently, the left will not allow the Gulf of Mexico oil spill ”crisis to go to | Read More »
Elites in Washington are looking over their shoulders today. There is a new Scarlet Letter in America and it is the Scarlet Letter “I” for incumbent. If you are a Senate candidate running for re-election or a member of the House, both Republican and Democrat, you are nervous that the people of America will kick you out of office because you are part of the problem. Rand Paul, | Read More »
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