Congress – Page 91 – Behind The Black

Hoyer Says Federal Budget May Not Be Balanced for 20 Years

March 8, 2011 7:42 pm Robert Zimmerman

What a clown! Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) has suddenly discovered the federal government is broke.

“Now [that] we’re at $14 trillion in debt, I think the answer is – responsibly – we’re not going to get there [a balanced budget] in ten years, but we have to be on a very considered path to get there, certainly, within the next decade and a half or two decades,

Trouble is, Steny, that debt was mostly created when you were in charge in Congress.

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Save the cowboy poets

March 8, 2011 7:36 pm Robert Zimmerman

Oink! Oink! Don’t cut federal funding for cowboy poets, squeals Harry Reid.

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Senate budget for NASA cuts the program, though less than the House

March 7, 2011 10:16 pm Robert Zimmerman

The new Senate budget proposal for NASA cuts the agency’s budget, though it does so less than the House.

Only a few months ago the Democratically-controlled Senate proposed giving NASA an increase from its 2010 budget. Today, the Senate, still controlled by Democrats, now proposes cutting that budget instead. It is remarkable to watch the impact of an election.

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Senate science budget proposals

March 7, 2011 1:39 pm Robert Zimmerman

Progress! The Senate’s science budget proposals are higher than the House’s, but actually do include real cuts.

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Orrin Hatch, Mark Udall back anti-appropriations committee in Senate

March 7, 2011 2:13 am Robert Zimmerman

Progress! Two senators from both parties have proposed an anti-appropriations committee that would focus on cutting wasteful federal programs.

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America must protect funding of Huntsville NASA facilities according to lawmakers

March 6, 2011 10:06 pm Robert Zimmerman

Alabama lawmakers express desire to protect funding of Huntsville NASA facilities.

Normally I would call this a typical squeal for funds (and we do see so-called conservative Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) squealing a bit) , but the article makes it clear that everyone involved (even the journalist!) has real doubts about the wisdom of funding these programs with the present federal debt.

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Biden leaving in middle of budget talks

March 4, 2011 5:27 pm Robert Zimmerman

How can anyone take this administration seriously? On Wednesday Obama announces that Biden will be his lead negotiator with Congress on the budget, even though Biden already had a prearranged trip to Europe beginning on Monday. He attended one meeting on Thursday, and then said goodbye!

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Some thoughts on a government shutdown and NASA

March 2, 2011 12:23 am Robert Zimmerman

Some thoughts on how a government shutdown would affect NASA.

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For 50 Straight Weeks, the Majority Has Supported Repeal

March 1, 2011 12:08 pm Robert Zimmerman

Repeal Obamacare already! And for fifty straight weeks, the majority in every poll has agreed.

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NASA’s chief technologist admits it will be a decade before Orion flies

February 26, 2011 10:03 pm Robert Zimmerman

This is why I call it pork and a waste of money: NASA’s chief technologist admits it will be a decade before Orion and the heavy-lift rocket mandated by Congress flies.

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Senate Democrats express support for the most recent House Republican proposal

February 25, 2011 8:55 pm Robert Zimmerman

Have the Democrats blinked? Senate Democrats have expressed support for the most recent House Republican proposal, a short-term continuing resolution that cuts $4 billion for its two week span and terminates 8 programs outright. A lot more details here, including a program-by-program breakdown of the cuts. Key quote:

Republicans have made abundantly clear that they wish to avoid a government shutdown, as have Democrats to a degree, though for the most part they [the Democrats] have spent the last few weeks preemptively blaming Republicans for a shutdown, while at the same time failing to produce a single piece of legislation that would prevent one.

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