Mikulski to Become Longest Serving Female Member of Congress
United States Senate(WASHINGTON) — She’s already won the title as the longest serving female in the U.S. Senate. Now, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., this weekend will become the longest serving female member in all of Congress.On Saturday, the 75…
Lawmaker Denies Trying to Buy Out His Challenger
Rep. Cliff Sterns. US House of Representatives(JACKSONVILLE, Fla.) — A member of Congress is denying that he tried to buy out his primary opponent in Florida.The primary challenger, county courts clerk James Jett, claimed to a group of Republicans at…
Congress Honors Slave Labor That Built Capitol
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Capitol Tuesday added a physical acknowledgment of the role slave labor played in the construction of the building.Leaders from both parties and both houses of Congress unveiled a commemorative marker in t…
Pension Perk Takes Hit as Congress Passes Reform Bill
Hemera/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The payroll tax cut extension that Congress passed Friday won’t affect just the middle class.Tucked inside the measure that will give 160 million Americans an average $1,000 in tax cuts for the rest of the year is a…
Senate Dems: Payroll Passage Is Not a Guarantee in the Senate Yet
iStockPhoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Senate Democratic leadership cautioned Thursday afternoon that they are not breathing a collective sigh of relief just yet over the payroll tax deal.At a late afternoon press conference, Senate Democrats waved the …
Lawmakers Sign Off on Payroll Deal
Architect of the Capitol(WASHINGTON) — Negotiators signed off on the bipartisan payroll tax deal Thursday afternoon, paving the way for Congress to approve an extension of the tax credit, plus unemployment insurance and the extension of the so-called …
Top Negotiators: ‘We Have Reached an Agreement’ on Payroll Tax Measure
Tom Williams/Roll Call(WASHINGTON) — The top two negotiators on the payroll tax credit announced early Thursday morning that they have reached a comprehensive, bipartisan deal after months of brinksmanship and tough negotiations.The top Republican and…
Payroll Tax Measure: House and Senate Reach Deal
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The House and Senate have reached an agreement on legislation to renew the two-percentage-point cut in the payroll tax as well as jobless benefits for millions of unemployed Americans.Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., ann…
Congress Reaches Tentative Deal on Payroll Tax Cut Extension
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Congress has reached a tentative deal to extend three economic policies set to expire at the end of the month, including an extension of the payroll tax credit through the end of the year, but some Republicans are …
Breakthrough: Negotiators Near Deal to Extend Payroll Tax Cut
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Multiple Capitol Hill sources say that a deal has “come together” Tuesday evening in the conference committee to extend the payroll tax credit for the rest of the year.
The deal, close to being formally…
Obama Appeals for Public Outcry on Payroll Taxes
JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Two months after successfully marshaling public support to extend a payroll tax cut for all Americans, President Obama on Tuesday attempted to do it again.“Allowing this tax cut to expire would make peop…
Congress’ Approval At Record Low; Poll Finds Only bin Laden Less Popular
iStockPhoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — There is no question that Americans are frustrated with their elected officials, but the latest Gallup poll shows that frustration has reached a fever pitch, plummeting Congress to its lowest approval rating in his…
Dems Reluctantly Support Stock Act, Both Parties Bicker About Changes
Hemera/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — As the House prepares to pass its version of the Stock Act Thursday, Democrats claim that even though the changes House Republicans made to the Senate-passed bill had weakened it — something the GOP flatly denies — De…
Times Square Vendor Who Alerted Police to Car Bomb to Run for Congress
iStockPhoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A New York City street vendor who alerted police to a smoking SUV in Times Square that was found to contain a bomb plans to run for Congress in 2012.Duane Jackson, 59, is seeking the Democratic nomination to challeng…
“Don’t Muck it Up,” Obama Warns Congress
JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images(ARLINGTON, Va.) — Encouraged by the latest employment statistics Friday, President Obama said to Congress on the economic recovery: “Don’t muck it up.”The Labor Department announced that the economy create…
House Votes to Repeal CLASS Act
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to repeal a lifeless provision of the president’s health care reform law, known as the CLASS Act.By a vote of 267-159, lawmakers passed H.R. 1173, Fiscal Responsib…
Boehner Says House ‘Has Done Its Job’ Amid Congressional Gridlock
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Despite the bitterly divided political environment in Washington, House Speaker John Boehner said that the House “has done its job” to work with the Senate to pass key jobs legislation, including a …
SOPA Could Help Feds Close Illegal Online Pharmacies
John Foxx/Stockbyte/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Congressional leaders have stalled work on bills to combat Internet piracy amid charges of censorship. But there are provisions in the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (PIP…
Obama to Address ‘Do Nothing’ Congress at State of the Union
JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — President Obama has spent the past three months railing against a “do-nothing Congress,” and Tuesday night he has the opportunity to deliver his message face to face.Obama will use his third State of the Union…
Behind the Scenes: Sneak Preview of State of the Union Speech
TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The White House has released a behind-the-scenes video showing President Obama working on his State of the Union speech, which he’ll deliver Tuesday night before a joint session of Congress.The video incl…