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Muslim-American interns who have served in Congress should be respected, and not subject to questions about their patriotism, House Judciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) said Thursday. Responding to allegations from Republican lawmakers that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) sought to plant Muslim "spies" in the Capitol, Conyers issued a scathing statement on his colleagues' accusations. "It shouldn't need to be said in 2009, and after the historic election of our first African-American president, but let me remind all my colleagues that patriotic Americans of all races, religions, and beliefs have the right - and the responsibility - to...

Three House Republicans are scheduled to hold a press conference on Wednesday morning to "make public a national security threat on Capitol Hill." Reps. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.), John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) and Paul Broun (R-Ga.) will hold a 10 a.m. press conference in the Capitol on the homeland security issue. The congressional daybook schedule does not provide further details. According to a source familiar with the issue, the press conference will focus on a non-profit group that has "known terrorist ties."

Reporting from Washington - President Obama's appointment of "czars," or policy coordinators, is drawing new fire from lawmakers in both parties. The most prominent complaint is that Obama, by using his own authority to name people to these policy jobs, is circumventing the role of the Senate in considering and confirming important nominations to the president's administration. In a letter to the president this week, Sen. Susan Collins (R- Maine) and five other Republican lawmakers criticized the administration for encroaching on Congress' authority in establishing what it said were too many far-reaching czars. Collins identified 18 positions created by Obama...

Michigan lawmakers want Gitmo detainees Published: July 24, 2009 at 12:46 PM WASHINGTON, July 24 (UPI) -- Some Democratic lawmakers from Michigan are viewing the Guantanamo detainees as a possible means of boosting their state's finances, legislators say. Several Democrat members in the U.S. House and Senate are floating the idea of housing detainees from the U.S. detention facility in Cuba in Michigan prisons set to close because of the state's budget crunch, The Hill reported Friday. The move would save or create jobs in a state with the nation's highest unemployment rate of 15.4 percent. Democratic Sen. Carl Levin...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Lawmakers on Friday approved a complex package of spending cuts, accounting maneuvers and raids on local government coffers to fill California's gigantic budget deficit, providing hope that the state might begin a slow climb out of a deep financial hole. ... The cuts imposed by the Legislature are extraordinary. The deal will mean teachers are laid off, college students will pay more, parks will be closed, and office buildings will be sold off. Lawmakers agreed the scope of the cuts was distasteful, but most said they had little choice. "The only way to do it is to...

WASHINGTON -- With $108 billion in International Monetary Fund loan guarantees in jeopardy last month, White House economic officials begged, cajoled and cut deals with Democrats to secure passage of legislation boosting the fund's power. Days later, President Barack Obama announced he wasn't bound by any of the agreements. The ensuing flap over the president's June 24 signing statement is the latest in a series of clashes between the White House and Congress over an issue Mr. Obama once fought against himself: presidential fiat.

The California Citizens Compensation Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to cut state legislators' monthly car allowances, fringe benefits and their per diem allowance by 18 percent. ... The 18 percent cuts in benefits, per diem and cars also apply to constitutional officers of the state. The action follows and earlier vote to cut lawmakers' and state elected officials pay by 18 percent effective Dec. 1, 2010.

WASHINGTON, June 1 (Reuters) - The Senate Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee is considering requiring the U.S. Air Force to study the viability of creating an export version of the Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-22 fighter jet, a source closely following the issue told Reuters on Monday. "There may be language inserted into the fiscal 2010 appropriations bill that would at least look at the possibility," said the source, who asked not to be identified since the legislative language is still being finalized. Defense Secretary Robert Gates in April said the Pentagon would halt production of the radar-evading F-22 fighter at...

HONOLULU – Hawaii's state Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill Wednesday to celebrate "Islam Day" — over the objections of a few lawmakers who said they didn't want to honor a religion connected to Sept. 11, 2001. The Senate's two Republicans argued that a minority of Islamic extremists have killed many innocents in terrorist attacks. ... The resolution to proclaim Sept. 24, 2009, as Islam Day passed the Senate on a 22-3 vote. It had previously passed the House and now goes to Republican Gov. Linda Lingle.

In a Capitol where groundbreaking achievements have been trumped by money woes in recent years, state officials are now hoping to broaden their ambitions to more than paying the state's bills, without breaking the bank. At their disposal is an unusual new resource: time. That may be the only upside of the fiscal crisis. After lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger came together on a spending plan in February -- instead of at the end of a hot Sacramento summer -- they now see in the eight months ahead the potential to solidify the state's fragile water supply, to improve foster...

Legislative leaders are weighing contingency plans for a potential fiscal "doomsday" if a slate of ballot measures designed to balance the state budget fails in the May 19 special election. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the bipartisan team of lawmakers pushing the half-dozen propositions continue to insist that the campaign has just begun and can still be won despite a recent public opinion poll showing all but one measure trailing badly. California’s “Big Five” on fixing the...But, behind the scenes, elected leaders and staffers have begun brainstorming additional budget cuts that might be necessary. That effort comes little more than a...

Top US lawmakers urged President Barack Obama in a letter Friday to open talks with Iran "as soon as possible," but warned they must yield quick results on the West's nuclear dispute with Tehran. "Engagement must be serious and credible, but it cannot be open-ended," the group, which included chairman of key House committees, wrote in the letter amid growing signs of Washington outreach to the Islamic republic.

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Members of Congress are raising the alarm that war-like conditions on the Mexican border could lead to Mexican drug cartels helping terrorists attack the U.S. “When you have…gangs and they have loose ties with al Qaeda and then you have Iran not too far away from building a nuclear capability, nuclear terrorism may not be far off,” said Rep. Trent Franks (R- Ariz.), a member of the House Armed Services committee. The Mexican drug cartels’ violence accounted for more than 6,000 deaths last year, and in recent months it has begun spilling over into the districts of lawmakers from the...

19 Georgia lawmakers behind on taxes, state report saysBy JIM THARPE The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Thursday, February 26, 2009 Nineteen members of the state Legislature have failed to pay state and federal income taxes, some of them dating back to 2002, according to a Georgia Department of Revenue report given recently to legislative leaders. The report on the alleged tax dodgers, with names and Social Security numbers redacted, has been forwarded to Republican and Democratic leaders of the state House of Representatives and Senate. “Leaders of both parties have made it clear this will not be tolerated,” state Rep. Joe Wilkinson...

From Sacramento -- The math seems pretty simple. But apparently it's too rigorous for many Republican politicians. To avoid raising taxes and still balance the books in Sacramento, you'd have to virtually shut down state government.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US lawmakers pushing an unprecedented 789-billion-dollar plan to arrest an economic tailspin prepared Thursday for final votes Friday in time to hand President Barack Obama his biggest win yet. Facing Obama's self-imposed February 16 deadline, the Senate and House of Representatives worked to schedule decisive votes on Friday, as some aides warned of a slim chance that passage could slip to Saturday or Sunday. "We're at the doorstep of getting this plan through the Congress, but the work is not over. When we do, the challenge will shift to administering successfully this endeavor of enormous scope and...

BOPO-Napolitano

SEOUL, South Korea – Brawling South Korean lawmakers tried to sledgehammer their way into a parliamentary meeting room barricaded by the ruling party as the National Assembly descended into chaos Thursday over a free trade agreement with the United States. Opposition parties were incensed by the ruling Grand National Party's move to submit the agreement to a committee on trade, setting in motion the process for the accord to win approval in the legislature.

California voters are worried sick about the state's economy, but they don't believe Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature can work together to solve California's fiscal problems, according to a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California. More than 70 percent of those surveyed listed the economy and the state budget as the top problems facing California, but two-thirds were unhappy with the way the state's leaders have faced the state's policy woes, including an $11.2 billion budget deficit for the current year. "With 3 out of 4 voters putting the economy and the budget on top of...