Tag: Congress

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American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken announces run for Congress

American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken has announced he is going to run for Congress in North Carolina. The seat Aiken would run for is currently held by Rep. Renee Ellmers.

From The News Observer:

Aiken’s decision to enter the race has already reshaped the field. Houston Barnes, a young attorney who lives in Durham, plans to announce Wednesday he is withdrawing from the race and supporting Aiken. That leaves former state commerce secretary Keith Crisco of Asheboro and licensed professional counselor Toni Morris of Fayetteville as Aiken’s primary opponents.

You can watch his official announcement below:

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Congressman Radel charged with cocaine possession

Freshman US House Rep. Trey Radel (R-FL) has been charged with cocaine possession:

Radel, 37, was charged with misdemeanor possession of cocaine in D.C. Superior Court on Tuesday. He is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday.

Radel faces a maximum of 180 days in jail, as well as a possible fine up to $1,000.

The Florida Republican is a former journalist, TV anchor and radio talk-show host. He never held elective office before winning his House seat last November.

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Rep. Joe Barton – Wind is a finite resource

Graphic via Teabonics

This “quote” has been widely attributed to Congressman Joe Barton of Texas: “Wind is a finite resource and harnessing it would slow down the winds which would cause the temperature to go up.”

This appears, however, be an amalgamation cobbled together from a Time Magazine report:

At a 2009 hearing, Barton implied that wind is a “finite resource” and that harnessing it would “slow the winds down” which would “cause the temperature to go up.”

According to Washington Monthly, this was the full quote:

“Wind is God’s way of balancing heat. Wind is the way you shift heat from areas where it’s hotter to areas where it’s cooler. That’s what wind is. Wouldn’t it be ironic if in the interest of global warming we mandated massive switches to energy, which is a finite resource, which slows the winds down, which causes the temperature to go up? Now, I’m not saying that’s going to happen, Mr. Chairman, but that is definitely something on the massive scale. I mean, it does make some sense. You stop something, you can’t transfer that heat, and the heat goes up. It’s just something to think about.”

Depending on how you parse the language, you may (or may not) read into Barton’s statement that he was implying that building an army of wind turbines might slow down wind enough to actually affect the planet’s temperature.

Barton is the House author of the Energy Policy Act of 2006 and Chairman of the House-Senate energy conference committee.

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Congressional gym deemed “essential” by Boehner during government shutdown

Even the right-wing site Drudge Report is mad at this one.

We may have to cut nutritional support for poor kids, but I guess House Speaker Boehner felt Rep. Paul Ryan needed his workout, so the Congressional gym is deemed “essential” to stay open during the government shutdown….

A House aide confirmed to ThinkProgress that the House member’s gym is open. The House gym features a swimming pool, basketball courts, paddleball courts, a sauna, a steam room and flat screen TVs. While towel service is unavailable, taxpayers remain on the hook for cleaning and maintenance, which has been performed daily throughout the shutdown. There are also costs associated with the power required to heat the pools and keep the lights on.

According to the aide, the decision to keep the gym open — even while other critical government services were shelved — came directly from Speaker Boehner’s office. Meanwhile, the staff gym available to Congressional staff has been closed.

(via Think Progress)

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So what happens if the government does shut down?

With the Republicans in the House doubling down on demanding defunding or at least postponing ObamaCare for a year in exchange for keeping the government running, it is almost certain the government is heading for a shutdown as of midnight Monday night.  How long is unsure – could be hours, days or weeks.

What happens in that case?  Just a few examples of what to expect – via Yahoo News:

• If you’re one of the 800,000 federal workers who are deemed as non-essential, you will be directly affected immediately and not report to work.

• If you’re applying for a passport or visa, you will likely be out of luck.

• First-time home buyers looking for a mortgage will be delayed because the Federal Housing Administration will be closed.

• The 401 national parks will be off-limits starting Tuesday morning.

• The biggest fear for hundreds of thousands of federal workers – and members of the military – will be if they receive back pay. In the last shutdown nearly two decades ago, workers received lost wages. That’s not guaranteed this time.

• And finally –  a shutdown will cost, not save, taxpayers’ money. A study from the non-partisan Office of Management and Budget puts the overall economic price tag for a shutdown around $2 billion.

It should be noted that never before in the history of the country has a budget bill been tied to repealing an existing law, i.e. ObamaCare.

Also, the last time the government shut down was 17 years ago and it cost the Republicans dearly at the following election.

Just saying…

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Just a few ways the GOP-led House could have done more of the people’s work

On the final day of the House’s recent session before taking a five week summer recess, Republicans voted for a 40th time to repeal ObamaCare. An act that will serve no purpose, as the Senate has no intention of voting on such a repeal.

That in mind, Geoffrey Cowley at MSNBC has thought up some issues the House COULD have taken up to make lives for American better. Here’s just a few:

Head over to Geoffrey’s article for more ways the House could have done the people’s work.

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Respect for Marriage Act re-introduced in Congress

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s SCOTUS decisions, the Respect for Marriage Act was re-introduced in both houses of Congress, Freedom to Marry reports:

Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York and Senator Dianne Feinstein of California today reintroduced the Respect for Marriage Act, the bill that would repeal the entirety of the federal so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and assure all married couples equal treatment for all federal programs and purposes.

The move swiftly followed today’s powerful ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court, striking down a central part of DOMA and calling into question marriage discrimination.

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Two more Democratic congressmen publicly support marriage equality

Rep. Ron Kind of Wisconsin released a statement endorsing marriage equality via a post on Facebook, saying that history has shown that “discrimination never works:”

“My 18-year marriage to Tawni has taught me that we’re both stronger because we love and support each other. I support marriage equality because if two people want to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for one another, then the government shouldn’t stand in the way.

“As the Supreme Court deliberates the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8, I’m reminded that throughout history, discrimination has never worked. I have never voted for discrimination, and I look forward to supporting legislation like the Respect for Marriage Act that will help committed same-sex couples gain the same rights as everyone else.”

Rep. Pete Visclosky of Indiana announced his support for marriage equality via Facebook also:

“I support marriage equality for all couples and believe that every single American should be able to marry the person they love. I believe that it is unfair that, under current law, same-sex couples are legally prohibited from taking advantage of the federal laws that provide financial and legal benefits to married couples. I believe that we can no longer allow the states to discriminate against same-sex marriages. Rather, I believe that the federal government should ensure that all consenting adults, no matter who they are or who they love, have the exact same marriage rights.”

Visclosky voted for DOMA in 1996. His spokesman says Visclosky now “regrets that vote.”