Some Congress Members Still Want Petraeus to Testify on Benghazi
Department of Defense photo by Cherie Cullen/Released(WASHINGTON) — While the FBI was investigating the director of the CIA, a top U.S. general and a Florida socialite, Congress was — for a while — left in the dark. The affair only came to lig…
Kyrsten Sinema Becomes First Openly Bisexual Member of Congress
US House of Representatives(NEW YORK) — After a hard-fought race in a newly formed Arizona congressional district, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema was declared the winner Monday, becoming the first openly bisexual member of Congress.Sinema, a former state sen…
Tulsi Gabbard, Mazie Hirono Break Congressional Barriers for Non-Christians
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard – Alex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Tuesday’s election brought some religious firsts for Congress, with a victory for Tulsi Gabbard, who will be the first Hindu congresswoman, and Mazie Hirono, the first Buddhist senator. Both ar…
Washington’s Porkiest Projects: Sen. Tom Coburn Releases Waste Book 2012
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — It’s becoming a tradition for Sen. Tom Coburn: The annual “Waste Book.” Every year since 2010, the Oklahoma Republican has issued his blistering report highlighting the 100 most egreg…
Tax Policy Center Spells Out Repercussions of ‘Fiscal Cliff’
Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Watch out for the ‘fiscal cliff.’ A new study forecasts that unless Congress acts, soaring taxes at the beginning of next year could blow a hole in your wallet.The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center said on Monday that…
Tax Policy Center Spells Out Repercussions of ‘Fiscal Cliff’
Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Watch out for the ‘fiscal cliff.’ A new study forecasts that unless Congress acts, soaring taxes at the beginning of next year could blow a hole in your wallet.The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center said on Monday that…
Democrats Call on GOP to Postpone Six-Week Campaign Recess
iStockPhoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — House Democrats protested a six-week recess that’s set to begin Friday, urging Speaker of the House John Boehner to reconsider allowing lawmakers to leave Washington for a final campaign blitz in their congre…
Obama Notifies Congress of Troops Deployed to Libya and Yemen
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — President Obama has taken the formal step of notifying Congress that he has deployed troops “equipped for combat” to Libya and Yemen to defend U.S. citizens and property, pursuant to the War Powers Reso…
Congress Takes Aim at Phony Vets in New Stolen Valor Act
Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. government got a step closer to punishing those who lie about military service for profit when the House of Representatives passed a revamped version of the Stolen Valor Act Thursday.The…
Paul Ryan Releases First Congressional TV Ad
Gerardo Mora/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, a seven-term congressman from Wisconsin, released his first television advertisement of the 2012 election cycle on Wednesday. He’s seeking re-electio…
Can Congress Avoid Fiscal Cliff? Boehner ‘Not Confident At All’
TOBY JORRIN/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker John Boehner bluntly assessed the prospects for a bipartisan agreement on deficit reduction and called on President Obama to demonstrate leadership by unveiling his administration’s plan t…
White House Downplays Leadership ‘Gaps’ in Debt Negotiations
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(WASHINGTON) — The White House is seeking to downplay a report that “gaps” in President Obama’s leadership contributed to the failure of a “grand bargain” in the debt crisis negotia…
Activists Demand Open Hearing on Air Force Sexual Assaults
U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Ken Wright(WASHINGTON) — Survivors of sexual assault in the military delivered a petition with more than 10,000 signatures to Congress Thursday demanding an open hearing on the sexual abuse scandal at Lackland Air F…
Congress Stalls on Summer Drought Assistance
File photo. Hemera/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — While the House of Representatives and the Senate have both voted to aid livestock producers affected by the extreme droughts plaguing the nation, that drought aid is unlikely to reach those who need it soon…
Police, Gun Control Advocates Push Washington for Action
David De Lossy/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Police and gun control advocates Thursday sounded a louder call for politicians to take a stand against gun violence — despite Congress’ lack of political will to touch the issue, or the White House&rsquo…
Women Get Short Straw for Pay on Capitol Hill
(File Photo) Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Testifying on Capitol Hill as a woman can be tough. But being a woman working for the Republican leadership can also be tough — on your pocketbook.Men who work for House Republican leaders — a…
Lawmaker Proposes Keeping Families Together In-Flight
Photodisc/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A New York congressman and member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has introduced legislation to help keep families seated together on commercial flights.The Families Flying Together Act of 2012…
Former Clinton Advisor: ‘We Are Going Over the Fiscal Cliff’
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Three of the country’s most prominent minds on U.S. budgetary problems issued a stark warning to lawmakers today as Congress approaches what many have called a “fiscal cliff” of tax hikes and spen…
Utah Mayor Mia Love Would Forego Congressional Salary If Elected
Love4Utah(SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah) — If Mia Love is elected to Congress, she would not only be the first black female Republican ever to hold a U.S. House seat, she would also be one of the only Members of Congress to reject the $175,000 salary that co…
Report: Countrywide Gave Discounted Home Loans to Capitol Hill Insiders
Digital Vision/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — A House committee report on the now-defunct subprime lender Countrywide Financial Corporation shows the company tried to win and influence friends in Washington by arranging discounted home loans for some member…