House Panel to Take Second Bite Out of Science Budgets
The revolt of the freshman Republicans is working: The House science panel is going to revisit its budget cut proposals for science from yesterday and find ways to cut more.
Tag: Congress
Freshman GOP to leadership: Business as usual is over
This is truly hopeful news: Freshman GOP to leadership: Business as usual is over.
House Spending Plan cuts billions from federal research agencies
Stand by for oinks! The House spending plan would cut billions from federal research agencies such as NIH, NSF, NOAA, NASA, and a host of Department of Energy programs. Specifics at the link.
House to vote next week to block health funds
Repeal the damn bill! The House will vote next week to block all funds to Obamacare.
Democrats Rally Lobbyists to fight Upcoming Spending cuts
Oink-oink! Senate Democrats met with lobbyists and special interest groups in a big closed-door meeting on January 24 to plan their opposition to any spending cuts. Key quote:
The Jan. 24 meeting was attended by approximately 400 people, sources told ABC, and served as a “call to arms” for those determined to fight Republican budget cuts.
House committee to review NASA budget
The first post-2010-election House appropriations committee hearing on NASA’s budget will take place this week. Key quote:
“The goal of the hearings is to help identify top management challenges and find ways to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in these respective departments and agencies,” the chairman of the CJS subcommittee, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA)
Bernanke headlines a day of grim warnings about the nation’s fiscal standing
Fed chairman Bernanke issued a grim warning yesterday about the federal government’s overwhelming debt. Key quote:
The national debt is currently about 60 percent of the economy, or Gross Domestic Product, [Bernanke] said, adding that it is projected to reach 90 percent of GDP by 2020 and 150 percent of GDP by 2030. But Bernanke’s citation of $9.5 trillion in national debt didn’t include the $4.6 trillion owed by the government to trust funds for things such as Social Security and Medicare, which have paid out cash to the Treasury in exchange for promisory notes. The full national debt – when both forms of debt are included – is already just under 100 percent of GDP, which is currently around $14.6 trillion.
Paul Says Republicans ‘Aren’t Maybe Brave Enough’ to Tackle Deficit
Go Rand Go! Senator Paul accuses Republicans of being too wimpy in their recent budget proposals.
Some details on the GOP’s proposed budget cuts
This closer look at the GOP’s proposed budget cuts will give you an idea which pigs are about to squeal.
Update: In fact, the squeals have already started, among Senate Democrats.
GOP offers $32B budget cut
The pigs are winning! A GOP budget proposal offered today only proposes $32 billion in budget cuts for this year, rather than the $100 billion they promised during the campaign.
Senate Rejects Full ObamaCare Repeal but Votes To Kill ‘1099’ Provision
By a vote of 51-47, the Senate today rejected a full repeal of ObamaCare. A second vote, 81-17, did repeal the 1099 tax paperwork provision.
No surprises here. This just illustrates the need to throw more of these clowns out of office in 2012. For one thing, many of the 81 Senators who voted to repeal the 1099 tax provision had voted for it only 10 months ago. Have they finally learned to read?
Senate May Vote Today On Health Repeal
I guess it was the supermarket confrontation that’s making Harry Reid do it: The Senate may vote today on the repeal of Obamacare.
Harry Reid confronted in supermarket over lack of Obamacare repeal vote
Senator Harry Reid (D-Nevada) was confronted in a supermarket on Saturday over his refusal to allow a vote on the repeal of Obamacare.
Senate vote to repeal Obamacare could come this week
A Senate vote to repeal Obamacare could come as early as this week.
Repeal it already! From the courts to the White House, everyone knows this law is a turkey.
Florida Judge Rules Against Health Law.
Big news! A Florida judge today has ruled the entire Obamacare law is unconstitutional. Key quote:
In his ruling, Judge Roger Vinson, a Republican appointee, said that the law’s requirement to carry insurance or pay a fee “is outside Congress’ Commerce Clause power, and it cannot be otherwise authorized by an assertion of power under the Necessary and Proper Clause. It is not constitutional.” The ruling also said that the entire law “must be declared void,” because the mandate to carry insurance is “not severable” from the rest of the law. [emphasis mine]
US judge to rule on Obamacare today
Repeal it already! Another US judge is expected to rule on Obamacare today. Key quote:
The judge, Roger Vinson of the U.S. District Court in Pensacola, Florida, was expected to rule on a lawsuit brought by governors and attorneys general from 26 U.S. states, almost all of whom are Republicans. Obama is a Democrat. The plaintiffs represent more than half the U.S. states, so the Pensacola case has more prominence than some two dozen lawsuits filed in federal courts over the healthcare law.
Congressional Budget office says Social Security Now Officially Broke
And you still think NASA (or any other federal program) is going to get a lot of money? The Congressional Budget office (CBO) admitted today that Social Security is now officially broke. Key quote:
The CBO’s revenue/expenditure estimates now place the program in permanent deficit. There had been some hope that payroll taxes would recover sufficiently post-recession to put the program back into the black (the theoretical black) for at least a few more years, putting off the day of reckoning for an election cycle or more. No more: The new CBO estimates put Social Security in the red for as far as the eye can see. [emphasis mine]
Wayne Hale nails NASA’s biggest spaceflight problem
Wayne Hale nails NASA’s biggest spaceflight problem. Key quote: “We always stop.”
NASA sets final space shuttle mission for June 28
Though the money is not yet appropriated by Congress, NASA has set the date, June 28, for a third and final space shuttle mission.
Republicans say there will be no bailout for the states
More progress: Republicans in Congress say there will be no bailout for the states.