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a CBO memo ... was released with little fanfare over the weekend.... the "smoking gun" showing that there has been a concerted effort among Democrats to make sure the CBO does not start taking into account the cost of mandates and new regulations. The memo concerned a proposal by Sen. Jay Rockefeller -- reportedly part of the now defenct Medicare expansion "deal" reached last week -- that would require insurance companies to spend 90 of the money collected in premiums on medical claims. Their conclusion was: "In CBO's view, this further expansion of the federal government's role in the health...

Republican candidates have bounced back to a seven-point lead over Democrats in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot...Support for GOP candidates is up just one point over the past week, but support for Democrats slipped two points.

Congressional Vote Score Card 2008 Bailout$ Auto$ 2009 Cap&Trade FDA/Food Healthcare Representative HR1424 District HR7321 District Representative HR2454 District HR2749 District HR3962 District Alabama Alabama Alabama Alabama Alabama Bonner, Jo [R] Nay AL-1 No AL-1 Bonner, Jo [R] No AL-1 Nay AL-1 No AL-1 Everett, Terry [R] Nay AL-2 Not Voting AL-2 Bright, Bobby [D] No AL-2 Yea AL-2 No AL-2 Rogers, Michael [R] Nay AL-3 No AL-3 Rogers, Michael [R] No AL-3 Nay AL-3 No AL-3 Aderholt, Robert [R] Nay AL-4 No AL-4 Aderholt, Robert [R] No AL-4 Nay AL-4 No AL-4 Cramer, Robert [D] Yea AL-5 Aye...

Chicago politics, where voting is such a revered civic duty that people do it even after they're dead, cold, stiff, stuffed, boxed and buried beneath the permafrost for years, has now come to D.C. with the Obama administration. This afternoon comes the most encouraging economic news, courtesy of our keen-eyed buddy Rick Klein over at ABC, that the Obama administration's $787-billion economic stimulus has, for example, thankfully created 30 new jobs in a little-known rural corner of Arizona at a cost to American taxpayers of only $761,420. That works out to only $25,380.67 spent to create each individual job. Seems...

Will the man who questioned Sen. Arlen Specter and Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius...run for Congress? Rob Mitchell, seen in this video posed this question...Rob, a grass-roots, concerned citizen, Air Force ROTC, served in the Air Force, small-business owner and former military medical law attorney wants to run for Congress to unseat Patrick Murphy, a self-proclaimed, Blue Dog Democrat who takes marching orders from Nancy Pelosi. http://www.rob4congress.com/

The GOP advantage over Democrats increased from two points to five in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 42% would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate while 37% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent.

The media is all over the new Siena poll which shows Dede Scozzafava's support collapsing in New York's 23rd Congressional District. This is a special election in November in a district that has elected a Republican since 1871. But party bosses saw fit to nominate a woman who is not only pro-gay marriage and pro-abortion, she has an economic record that has lead the Club For Growth and the American Conservative Union to target her and endorse the Conservative party candidate Doug Hoffman, in spite of Newt Gingrich's endorsement.... What's at stake in this race? As Michelle Malkin has written,...

•The Honduran Congress appears to have acted properly in deposing President Manuel Zelaya. Unlike in the United States, the Honduran Congress has the last word when it comes to interpreting the Constitution. Although there is no provision in Honduras's Constitution for impeachment as such, the body does have powers to disapprove of the president's official acts, and to replace him in the event that he is incapable of performing his duties. Most importantly, the Congress also has the authority to interpret exactly what that means. •The Supreme Court was legally entitled to ask the military to arrest Zelaya. The high...

ENCINITAS — Francine Busby is telling supporters that Friday night's disruption by sheriff's deputies of a fund-raiser for her congressional campaign shows that she is a “right-wing” target. Busby is asking for campaign contributions to reach a goal of $200,000 by the end of Tuesday. “I am going to fight even harder to stop this hateful intimidation,” Busby said in a letter e-mailed to supporters late Monday. “I hope that I can count on you to fight this battle with me ... Your contribution will show that you aren't afraid to stand with me.”

Seven members of the board of Catholic Charities announced their resignations. They were protesting the effort by Massachusetts bishops to prohibit gays from adopting children from their Catholic social service agencies. The seven who quit said prohibition ''threatens the very essence of our Christian mission." Church doctrine states that allowing children to be adopted by same-sex couples ''would actually mean doing violence to these children...gravely immoral." If you agree with those principles, according to the Vatican, a Catholic in good standing. If you don't, you're not. Liberals raised as Catholics refuse to accept this reality. We think we can be...

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's Democratic allies in Congress have agreed to let his signature $400 tax cut for most workers expire after next year but are moving to give him a better chance at passing his health care bill

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama wants Congress to act quickly on his $83.4 billion request for U.S. military and diplomatic operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, an appeal that's disappointing the most liberal, anti-war wing of his party. But with the president promising to remove all combat troops from Iraq by the end of August 2010, his Democratic allies in control of Congress are sure to approve the spending without the type of tortuous battle that characterized their dealings with former President George W. Bush.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a nationwide effort to create jobs, jumpstart growth and transform our economy to compete in the 21st century. The compromise package of $789 billion will create or save 3.5 million jobs over the next two years. Jobs created will be in a range of industries from clean energy to health care, with over 90% in the private sector. 1 The table below outlines the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act compromise package on employment by congressional district.

California Rep. Henry Waxman said Thursday the environment and U.S. economy depend on congressional action to confront the threat of climate change. Waxman, chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, spoke as he opened Congress' first hearing on climate legislation. A group of 14 corporate

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, was announced as chairwoman-elect of the Congressional Black Caucus at a Capitol Hill news conference Wednesday. She takes the 42-member caucus' reins as its power seems ascendant. Members will lead the House Judiciary, Homeland Security and Ways and Means committees in the 111th Congress; another, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., will be the majority whip; and all of them will work in tandem with the nation's first black president, Barack Obama, of whom Lee was an early and ardent supporter. "We have many, many challenges, but those challenges do present historic opportunities," she said Wednesday. "When you...

The positive impact of the GOP convention on polling indicators of Republican strength is further seen in the operation of Gallup's "likely voter" model in this survey. Republicans, who are now much more enthused about the 2008 election than they were prior to the convention, show heightened interest in voting, and thus outscore Democrats in apparent likelihood to vote in November. As a result, Republican candidates now lead Democratic candidates among likely voters by 5 percentage points, 50% to 45%.

WASHINGTON, March 5, 2008 – A bipartisan congressional effort kicked off on Capitol Hill today to stand behind America Supports You, a Defense Department program that connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad. From left: John E. Potter, U.S. postmaster general, Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communications and public liaison, Rep. Mary Bono Mack of California and Rep. Connie Mack of Florida, Karen Grimord, founder and president of the Landstuhl Hospital Care Project, and Army Brig. Gen. Gary Patton, director of manpower and personnel for the Joint...

A Republican candidate for the District 22 congressional seat will be getting a lot of attention today with a very unique campaign ad. By KTRH's August Skamenca Monday, February 25, 2008 It's yet to be seen just whether it's negative or in his favor. Now in the private sector, Brian Klock remains a commander in the US Navy Reserve. He's an underdog candidate trying to gain new ground. Later Monday, his campaign will unveil a billboard on the Southwest Freeway near Fountainview. It shows crosshairs trained on downtown Houston, it explodes into a massive orange glow. Klock, a 27-year veteran...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2007 – A Congressional Research Service report confirms the Defense Department estimate for when the Army and Marine Corps will run out money and be forced to furlough civilians and shutter bases. The report, released Dec. 6, says the Army will run out of operations and maintenance money by mid-February, and the Marine Corps will run out of funds a month later. Amy Belasco, Stephen Daggett and Pat Towell wrote the report, titled “How Long Can the Defense Department Finance FY2008 Operations in Advance of Supplemental Appropriations?” The service, a part of the Library of Congress, affirmed...

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2007 – Strides have been made in building Iraq’s security forces and increasing their responsibility, but more progress is needed, according to a new congressional report released today. The report, “Stand Up and Be Counted: The Continuing Challenge of Building the Iraqi Security Forces,” follows an investigation by the House Armed Services Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. It reports that the $19 billion the United States has invested over the past four years to organize, train and equip Iraq’s military and police forces “has yielded mixed results.” “Despite making significant progress in generating a sizeable national force,...

Last January, Democrats took the reins in Congress, portraying themselves as agents of change who would restore trust by ending pork-barrel politics in Washington. But now after three months of Democratic rule, it’s clear Democrats are exactly who we thought they were all along — the same old party of tax-and-spend government. And congressional pork is back, with a vengeance. The Democrats’ failure on pork is a genuine disappointment for anyone who believes, as I do, that reforming the earmark process is essential to bringing real change to the way Congress spends taxpayers’ money. When I first ran for Congress,...

BAGHDAD — A U.S. congressional delegation visited Baghdad Sunday. The Delegation, led by Sen. John McCain of Arizona, consisted of Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, making his sixth trip to Iraq, Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana and Rep. Rick Renzi, also from Arizona. The delegation landed at Baghdad International Airport and traveled to various locations in Baghdad by military convoy. The congress members visited the Shorga marketplace and interacted with local merchants while walking the streets with Gen. David H. Petraeus, commanding general, Multi-National Force–Iraq. “It’s a resilient people here in Iraq,” said Graham. “We went to the market...

Don't feel too bad for Al Gore: He's leaving Washington with a congressional pension of $94,800 a year. The National Taxpayers Union estimates Gore's pension based on his 24 years in the House, Senate and vice presidency. Assuming he lives to 82, Gore's lifetime government retirement benefits, including a "spousal annuity" for Tipper Gore, could total nearly $6 million. Bill Clinton's presidential pension will start at $161,200 a year.

WASHINGTON - Sworn in just over two weeks ago as the first female speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi wasted no time showing who's boss. The California Democrat rammed six major bills through the House at breakneck speed, stomped out smoking privileges near the House floor, partially sidelined a powerful Democratic committee chairman and decided she liked traditionally Republican office space so much she claimed it for herself. By Democrats' timekeeping, she did it all in far under the 100 legislative hours she had allotted.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Less than two weeks after Democrats took control of both houses of Congress, Accuracy in Media has exposed a plan by congressional liberals to use the federal government to silence conservative voices in the media. Reporting from a so-called National Conference on Media Reform, organized by "progressive" activists, AIM editor Cliff Kincaid has revealed, in an exclusive report now available on the AIM web site (http://www.aim.org), that liberals in the House and Senate intend to push legislation giving the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) the authority to monitor and restrict what conservatives in the media say...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic and Republican leaders predicted on Sunday the U.S. Congress would pass an immigration law this session after scuttling President George W. Bush's plan last year. Democratic leaders also said they were looking at ways to provide middle class tax relief, with one hinting of possibly ending some tax breaks for the wealthy. House of Representatives Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland said on "Fox News Sunday" that immigration was one of the topics discussed when congressional leaders were invited to the White House last week to meet with Bush. "He (Bush) smiled and he said, 'You...

WASHINGTON - Democrats may have declared a one-year moratorium on pet projects treasured by members of Congress, but the move will hardly stop horse trading in Washington or moves by lawmakers to try to steer taxpayer money back home. Nor will it touch billions of dollars in already budgeted Pentagon earmarks, which go to everything from research into better body armor for overseas troops to finding bone marrow matches to treat leukemia patients. The temporary ban on earmarks — footnotes in spending bills that lawmakers use to deliver federal bacon to their states — has been greeted with applause by...

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo, Nov. 14, 2006 -- Last week’s national elections will have no impact on how the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff carries out his job, including his recommendations about Iraq, Marine Gen. Peter Pace told National Guard troops here today. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrives at Kosovo and is introduced to U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Darren Owens, commander of Kosovo Force Multinational Brigade (East), by German Lt. Gen. Roland Kather, commander of Kosovo Forces, Nov. 14. Photo by Staff Sgt D. Myles Cullen, USAF  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution...

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reserved $630,000 in TV advertising for Angie Paccione’s bid to unseat Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, but has apparently pulled the money. “If this isn’t the final nail in Angie Paccione’s political coffin, it’s pretty close,” Musgrave campaign manager Shaun Kenney said in a press release. “Coming on top of the poll earlier this week showing Marilyn Musgrave leading by 10 percentage points, it is clear that national Democrats have completely given up hope for “Angry Angie”.” Paccione was recently named to the DCCC’s coveted “Red to Blue” program, designed to funnel...

Suffering the malevolence of what is being Left, has become something of a rite in the passing of citizens of what is Right to champions of Reason; idiocy being a bump in the road to real human progress. But, suffering the obstinance of one's own fools on the Right is virtually insufferable given the political disasters their short-sided, myopic, irresponsible, indignation stands to unleash. Does anyone remember, Perot? It only takes 10% stupidity to yield 8 years of deterioration. Now is not the time to test a unified theory, of righteous abandon. Too much is at stake, to risk an...

Austin, Texas ­- With one day remaining for candidates to withdraw from the race and have their names not appear on the ballot, candidate Michael Badnarik's principal campaign committee, Badnarik for Congress, has asked Democrat Ted Ankrum to withdraw from the race. "While Mr. Ankrum is definitely a nice guy, that is not enough to win over the Republican incumbent," says campaign manager and committee treasurer Allen Hacker. Hacker expects that the Democrat, who has no party or Political Action Committee support, hasn't raised even $75,000.00 and is very unlikely to break $100,000.00 in the entire campaign. A recent appeal...

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is asking the Senate Judiciary Committee to fully review the case of two Border Patrol agents facing 20 years in prison for violating a drug smuggler's civil rights. Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., went even further, sending a letter to President Bush asking him to personally review the case. Border Patrol agent Ignacio Ramos broke his 18-month silence on his altercation with the drug smuggler, Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Bulletin. His co-worker, Jose Alonso Compean, has been asked by his attorney to not speak to the media while his sentencing hearing...

Robinson's amusing mariachi ad is now followed by amusing Beverly Hill-Miller. He is asking for money to run it.

Creation of Congressional Israel Allies Caucus in the United States News From U.S. CONGRESSMAN DAVE WELDON Florida's 15th District -- Serving Brevard, Indian River, Osceola, and Polk Counties For Immediate Release: Contact: Kurt Heath (202) 225-3671; 202-577-5285 July 26, 2006 kurtheath@mail.house.gov ***MEDIA ADVISORY*** Press Conference Congressional Leaders Announce Formation of New Congressional Caucus "Congressional Israel Allies Caucus" Press Conference: Thursday, July 27, at 3pm, RHOB 2358 WASHINGTON, DC. Reps. Dave Weldon, M.D. (R-FL), Eliot Engel (D-NY), and Trent Franks (R- AZ) will announce the formation of the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus at a press conference tomorrow afternoon at 3pm in...

WASHINGTON, July 10 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on Judge Thomas F. Hogan's ruling upholding his approval of the search warrant of Representative William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record)'s congressional office: "No one is above the law and no Members of the House can use a congressional office to conceal evidence of criminal wrongdoing or to shield them from prosecution. "This particular search could have been conducted in a manner that fully protected the ability of the prosecutors to obtain the evidence needed to do their job while preserving constitutional principles. "The...

Bush Will Ignore Congressional Ban on Aid to Saudi Arabia 06:36 Jun 23, '06 / 27 Sivan 5766 (IsraelNN.com) Officials in the Bush administration said the American President will use his power of waiver to ignore a recent Congressional measure to reduce aid to Saudi Arabia. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly agreed earlier this month to deny $420,000 for the Arab country's participation in anti-terrorism training supported by the American military. Congressmen passed the measure because Saudi Arabia has not blocked financing al Qaeda terrorists groups outside of the country, according to Middle East Newsline

Some CBC Members Secretly Trying to Oust Jefferson from Committee Postby Hazel Trice Edney NNPA Washington Correspondent Originally posted 6/13/2006 WASHINGTON (NNPA) – Although the Congressional Black Caucus has publicly presented a united front in its support of embattled U. S. Rep. Bill Jefferson’s right to maintain his committee memberships, some CBC members – including civil rights icon John Lewis (D-Ga.) – have assumed behind-the-scene roles in getting Jefferson ousted from his coveted position on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. “Mr. [Mel] Watt certainly ably and with great distinction, speaks for the Congressional Black Caucus,” says House Democratic...

Jefferson To Meet With Congressional LawmakersUPDATED: 3:20 pm CDT June 7, 2006 WASHINGTON -- A spokeswoman for Rep. William Jefferson said he will attend a meeting with congressional lawmakers. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi asked Jefferson to appear before the Democratic Steering Committee on Wednesday afternoon. The committee, which is charged with determining panel assignments, could vote to oust Jefferson from the powerful House Ways and Means Committee while he is under investigation. According to court documents, U.S. Rep. William Jefferson told an FBI informant, that Nigeria's vice president sought up to $500,000 and a stake in a technology venture...

As congressional Republicans wrangled over deportations, detentions and other get-tough measures on illegal immigration, another Republican spent this week hugging newly naturalized immigrants and enthusiastically hosting Mexican President Vicente Fox. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is charting a different political course from conservatives in Washington this election year, emphasizing tolerance and pragmatism over a hard-line border lockdown. "He is trying to deal with immigration not just from the loud voices on the left and the loud voices on the right, but to find a place where you can deal with the whole breadth of the issue," said Matthew Dowd, Schwarzenegger's chief campaign...

The hearings to confirm General Michael Hayden as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency have had some unintentional effects. The culpability of Congress in what almost all observers agree is the dysfunctional nature of our intelligence community is on view. It is evident that Congressional oversight has grown far beyond its original charge of “reigning in” the CIA and has become instead a drag on our intelligence community’s ability to carry out its task of protecting the country from another terrorist attack. The cure has become the new disease. Prior to the 1970’s, intelligence gathering was the exclusive responsibility of...

Sen. Cantwell's immigration related congressional votes Voted against amendment to provide funding for additional Border Patrol agents in 2005 Sen. Cantwell voted against the Ensign Amendment (SA 1219) to H.R. 2360, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill. The Ensign Amendment transfers appropriated funds from the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the purpose of hiring 1,000 additional Border Patrol agents. The amendment failed by a vote of 38 to 60. Voted in favor of amnesty for agricultural workers in 2005 Sen. Cantwell voted in favor of a procedural...

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - A congressional hopeful wrecked his car and wandered a mile in a daze, swimming across a river and then huddling under leaves for warmth until he was found alive a day later, officials and relatives said. Gary Dodds, 41, was taken to a hospital to be treated for hypothermia late Thursday. His wife, Cynthia, said Friday that he was doing well but has only foggy memories of his ordeal and "definitely had a good bump to the head." Dodds crashed on the Spaulding Turnpike on Wednesday evening, but emergency workers who arrived a few minutes later found...

The most important Congressional primary election this year takes place in Michigan’s Seventh District. There a liberal represents one of the most conservative regions in the country. The liberal Congressman calls himself a Republican, in a place where words still mean something. His name is Joe Schwarz. The first time I saw Joe Schwarz was in a six-way Congressional debate at Hillsdale College. Republicans in the district made the mistake in 2004 of tolerating five generally qualified conservatives to run up against Mr. Schwarz and each other in the primary election. At the debate, Schwarz defended his pro-abortion position and...

SACRAMENTO – During his congressional campaign, Howard Kaloogian has portrayed himself as an aggressive conservative willing to go the extra mile, or in this case, 7,000 miles, to show that the war in Iraq is going well. But a funny thing happened on the way back from Baghdad – at least according to Kaloogian: His group stopped in Istanbul, their pictures got confused and now he's at the center of a national Internet photo scandal. For weeks, Kaloogian's campaign Web site featured a photo of a peaceful city block to help make his case that things are going well in...

The 50th Congressional District is boiling over. Happy days are here again for broadcast media, which are fattening up on campaign ads. In the stretch run of the race to replace Randall Harold Cunningham,it's difficult to keep up with the scandals, peccadilloes and pratfalls. A quick and dirty summary of the most recent eruptions involving the supposed front-runners: IT'S MY PARTY AND I CAN RUN AWAY FROM IT IF I WANT TO – Buoyed by one poll that has her within striking distance of the magical 50 percent, a margin that would give her the Republican seat outright, Democrat Francine...

SACRAMENTO – During his congressional campaign, Howard Kaloogian has portrayed himself as an aggressive conservative willing to go the extra mile, or in this case, 7,000 miles, to show that the war in Iraq is going well. But a funny thing happened on the way back from Baghdad – at least according to Kaloogian: His group stopped in Istanbul, their pictures got confused and now he's at the center of a national Internet photo scandal. For weeks, Kaloogian's campaign Web site featured a photo of a peaceful city block to help make his case that things are going well in...

LOS ANGELES, March 29 — The sleuths of cyberspace never sleep. Starting Tuesday afternoon and working through the night, a group of bloggers dissected a photo and a caption on the Web site of a Republican Congressional candidate in California, Howard Kaloogian, and declared it a fraud. Within hours, Mr. Kaloogian withdrew the picture, blamed an unnamed staff member for the blunder and apologized.....

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military should be called out to protect the U.S. border against military-style incursions from Mexico, the head of the Border Patrol union told a congressional homeland security committee Tuesday. TJ Bonner, president of the National Border Council that represents 10,500 agents, recommended active or reserve U.S. military units be stationed "on stand" at strategic locations along the border. "If the Mexican military is coming into the United States, our law enforcement agents do not have the training to deal with that," Bonner told the House Homeland Security subcommittee on Investigations. The proposal was one of several...

Congressional Ballot: Dems 46% GOP 35% Survey of 1,000 Adults January 15-16, 2006 Election 2006 Congressional Ballot Democrat 46% Republicans 35% Economy 54% Iraq 33% January 18, 2006--Forty-six percent (46%) of Americans say they will vote for a Democratic candidate in their Congressional race this year while 35% plan to vote for a Republican. In this Rasmussen Reports survey, Democrats have a 4 percentage point edge among men and a 17-point advantage among women. Seventy-four percent (74%) of Americans voters say that the economy will play a "very important" role in determining how they will vote for Congress in 2006....

Apparently Hillary thinks that there is a comparison between what the slaves endured, to what Democrats in Congress endure.