1.) We will all die of old age before anyone cuts spending — After a largely symbolic repeal of Obamacare, what will Republicans do next to cut spending? Absolutely nothing, apparently. “Entitlement reform will only be done on a bipartisan basis. So we’re waiting for signals from the president as to whether or not that’s a discussion he’s willing to have,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, in a Thursday press conference. “The president must embrace it.” The Daily Caller’s Jon Ward writes, “House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican, acted on Tuesday as if Obama was the one who was just elected based on promises to cut government spending” and that “House Speaker John Boehner, Ohio Republican, had no answer Thursday for NBC’s Brian Williams when asked to name ‘a program right now that we could do without.’” Head, desk. (more)
1.) Has the Great Walking Back of Promises (TM) begun? — House Speaker John Boehner has been in possession of Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s bejeweled gavel for less than 24 hours and already his party is modifying its promise to cut $100 billion in spending before the fiscal year is over. “A few House Republican aides admitted to TheDC that the party had slipped up in failing to correct the $100 billion figure – first thrown out in the ‘Pledge to America’ document released in late September – before this week,” writes Jon Ward. The more important goal, say Republicans like Rep. Paul Ryan, is to reduce spending to a level last seen in 2008, an apparent golden age of fiscal restraint. Also, says Ryan, the fiscal year began three months ago, which means “[w]e are halfway through the fiscal year right now,” and cutting $100 billion from the budget would be almost as difficult as figuring out how many months are in a year. Why did Republicans not walk back this promise on, say, September 23, 2010, the day after the Pledge was announced? Because Congress critters are terrified that the Tea Partiers will drizzle their coagulated blood on the Tree of Liberty. And metaphorically speaking, you know they will do it, too. (more)
For all the rancor coming out of the House Democratic Caucus, its members are once again missing the proverbial forest for the trees, and that is this: The Republicans will take over control of the 112th Congress in January with a 49-seat margin. I am not sure what Nancy Pelosi and others don’t get about this reality, but the truth of the matter is that if the Democrats “shellack” President Obama from his flank and cause this tax package to fail in conference (after the Senate votes), then they are in for a rude awakening come January 2011. (more)
No one seems to know the full schedule for the Democrats’ lame-duck Congress, but we know the Democratic majority has not scheduled a vote to prevent all tax rates from rising. If there is no vote on the tax cut extensions for all Americans before the end of the year, taxpayers at every income level will see their paychecks reduced as significant tax increases go into effect. The impact won’t stop with paychecks — as the tax rates for savings and investment will rise and the death tax will return in full force. This is bad for American families, small businesses and the health of our economy as a whole. (more)
Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.) and Republican Sen. Scott Brown (Mass.) may have found a way to take the partisan venom out of the healthcare reform debate, according to some state officials and policy experts. (more)
For nearly two years, talk concerning labor law reform has centered on the Employee ‘Forced’ Choice Act (EFCA). As the Congressional session progressed and the small business community organized, the likelihood of EFCA’s passage — or any legislation eliminating the secret ballot and mandating binding arbitration — diminished. And as EFCA’s chances of passage began to fade, Big Labor shifted its attention to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an independent federal agency whose mission is to “prevent and remedy unfair labor practices committed by private sector employers and unions.” (more)
Republicans in the House Thursday blocked a bill that would have extended jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed beyond the holiday season. (more)
As one might imagine, it easy for a conservative living in the San Francisco Bay Area to find events from which to draw inspiration for discussion. On Wednesday, soon-to-be former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi provided yet another such incident, as she echoed President Obama’s post-election lament. Unmoved by the obvious sentiment conveyed by the American people to an out-of-touch Washington, Pelosi chooses to continue pursuing the politics of delusion. (more)
Mr. President, on Election Day the American people rebuked the liberal policies of your administration; in your own words, your party suffered a “shellacking.” The GOP picked up more than 60 seats in the House, a historic shift in power the likes of which have not been seen since 1938. Despite the landslide victory, now is not the time for Republicans to gloat or for Democrats to spin the results or place blame. Rather, it is time to show the American people that we heard their voices and get down to business solving the problems that face our nation. One of the biggest problems is the ill-conceived overhaul of our health care system. (more)
If you are one of the nearly 15 million people who want to work and can’t find a job, you are not impressed that 151,000 new private sector jobs were created in October. That’s because it represents less than 1 percent of the workforce while 9.6 percent are still unemployed, which is nearly four million more than when President Obama took office. (more)
Last week, the good folks at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released new polling data intended to show “how a yes vote on Waxman-Markey is affecting the reelection efforts of 23 House lawmakers,” according to Politico. (more)
The political winds do not bode well for renewable energy and climate change policy. (more)
This week, House Republicans released a governing agenda that clearly shows the American people what we are working to accomplish in this Congress and in the future. The Pledge to America is grounded in timeless values and the needs of America today. We looked to the Constitution for guidance on the role of the federal government, and we listened to the American people through town hall meetings, phone calls, letters, and new technologies. (more)
With over $20 billion in funding provided for research and development, universities across the nation are struggling to outline a clear path between stimulus funding, their research projects, and viable job creation. One such case involves the University of Notre Dame. (more)
Imagine, for a second, you work at the Environmental Protection Agency, and your job is to determine how much money EPA-funded stimulus projects spent on self-congratulatory, “your taxpayer dollars at work” stimulus signs. (more)
As a candidate for president, Barack Obama promised hope, change and a new direction for America. Unfortunately, the initial hope has turned into despair, while the change has been negative. Cleary, the country is going in a new direction, but it is toward a deeper recession, not an economic recovery. (more)
Members of Congress and their staffs will slowly be making their way back to D.C. this week to prepare for the last session of the 111th Congress before the November elections. There is lots of work awaiting the politicians, but they have already made history: first by being the only Congress to fail to pass a budget resolution through either chamber of our bi-cameral legislature; and second for failing to enact a single appropriations bill before mid-September. Wow, those two feats together amount to quite an accomplishment! (more)
This week, we received more bad economic news showing that gross domestic product had grown slower in the second quarter of 2010 than had been initially calculated. The majority of economic indicators — including new claims for unemployment, new housing starts, and sales of used homes — are lagging. (more)
The government is investigating at least 20 car dealerships it claims violated the rules of last year’s cash-for-clunkers program. Government auditors say up to $94 million in rebates may be ineligible because they lack the proper documentation. (more)
This week, House Democratic Leadership reconvened the chamber for a special session to vote on legislation that would provide another bailout costing $26 billion. Instead of a bailout to corporations – which I oppose – this bailout was for states that have not displayed the will to balance their budgets. We’ve seen less than satisfactory results from previous corporate bailouts, and now Democratic leadership is determined to spend billions more on this. We can’t keep going down this reckless path because it’s unsustainable. (more)
