According to the New York Times, the United States Air Force is blocking access to any web sites that have... View Article
Continue readingLobbyist hired to head key congressional committee
Gary Andres, a lobbyist for Dutko Worldwide, has been hired by incoming chairman Fred Upton to be the staff director... View Article
Continue readingNew Financial Services Committee members raise money from finance sector
Eight of the twelve new members chosen to take seats on the House Financial Services Committee can count the finance,... View Article
Continue readingA reaction to Orszag’s Citigroup move
I think that Harold Pollack, professor at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, sums up a lot of feelings people are having about former Office of Management and Budget director Peter Orszag's move from government to the offices of Citigroup:
With the exception of the president himself, Orszag was arguably the most important economic policymaker in the entire Obama administration. Orszag’s OMB role, his fingertip familiarity with policy, the budget process, and congressional policymakers made him central to the stimulus and health reform efforts. He was President Obama’s right hand man for much of that work, and more besides. He accumulated the ultimate rolodex of people inside and outside government, within the United States, and perhaps globally, too. Continue reading
Revolving Door: New hires on the Hill
There are numerous reports coming in that new and old members of Congress are hiring lobbyists to work in their... View Article
Continue readingLoopholes already being sought for earmark ban
Some House Republicans are already looking for a way around the ban on earmarks imposed on the next Congress. These members are rapidly trying to come up with a new definition for earmarks, or directed spending, to skirt the ban.
Politico reports, "[S]ome Republicans are discussing exemptions to the earmark ban, allowing transportation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and water projects. While transportation earmarks are probably the most notorious — think “Bridge to Nowhere” — there is talk about tweaking the very definition of “earmark.”
Incoming finance committee chairman relies on finance campaign contributions
The House Republican Steering Committee voted on Tuesday to name all committee chairman for the incoming Congress. Their choice to head the House Financial Services Committee, the committee in charge of overseeing the financial sector and the government's implementation of new financial reforms, happens to be the member of Congress most reliant on contributions from the financial sector.
Contributions from the finance, insurance and real estate sector accounted for 62.5 percent of all contributions received by Rep. Spencer Bachus, the incoming House Financial Services Committee chairman, during the 2010 election cycle. These contributions amounted to $1.23 million out of a total $1.97 million that Bachus' campaign and political action committees raised.
Independent ethics office likely to survive
The Washington Post reports that the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), the only independent ethics body in Congress, is likely... View Article
Continue readingRangel may have more bad days to come
The title of his autobiography is And I Haven’t Had A Bad Day Since, but Rep. Charlie Rangel may still... View Article
Continue readingDuo of Republican groups raised $70 million during midterm
The Washington Post has the total amount that was raised by American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS during the 2010 midterms:... View Article
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