Speaking at Heritage this morning, former Speaker Newt Gingrich called on House Republicans to put politics aside and pass a new proposal from two Democratic senators that would expand offshore drilling off Virginia’s coast. Gingrich suggested it should be one of the top priorities for the House GOP when lawmakers return in September. The plan would create jobs and add revenue to federal coffers — two points Gingrich made repeatedly throughout his speech on deficit reduction. “One of the proposals I have,” Gingrich said, “is a proposal that the House …
Catching you up on clips, commentary and news of the day. Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe. Gallup: Obama job rating sinks below 40% for first time – Michael A. Memoli, Los Angeles Times Economists’ outlook darkens: See 30% chance of recession – Paul Davidson and Barbara Hansen, USA Today Debt panel should educate the public on tough choices – Boston Globe Postal Service running out of money – James Gattuso, Orange County Register Day to remember before we die – James Carafano, Washington Examiner Rumsfeld: A Voice …
A half-dozen Republicans are lobbying Senate leaders to make the newly created Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction transparent in its operations and accessible to the American public. Their proposal includes public attendance at meetings and live television broadcasts. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the six Republicans ask the leaders to “allow this process to unfold before the American people through an open debate.” The effort was spearheaded by Sen. Dean Heller (NV) with the backing of Sens. Kelly Ayotte …
Washington is boiling, and it’s not just the temperature. Dueling debt ceiling proposals, presidential veto threats, and heated rhetoric between and among parties have political tempers flaring, while the President’s rhetoric is seemingly designed to bring the markets to a full-throttle meltdown. House Speaker John Boehner’s (R–OH) debt-ceiling plan sparked a conservative revolt after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced that his plan would not deliver the cuts he was shooting for. So now Boehner is racing to redo his debt ceiling package. Meanwhile, over in the Senate…zippo. Majority Leader …
In this week’s Heritage in Focus podcast, Heritage Action for America CEO Mike Needham discusses the latest on the debt negotiations. Listen to the full interview, here. With the shadows of default looming, what’s the likelihood that Congress strikes a deal? Are there any positive options? Furthermore, what’s the conservative strategy to deal with the debt limit while controlling government spending? For answers to those questions and more, click here. To get regular updates on Heritage in Focus podcasts, visit our RSS feed or subscribe on iTunes. To listen to …
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–NV) introduced legislation to raise the debt ceiling this week. In evaluating his plans for future government spending, it becomes clear that budgeting for prudent defense is considered just another line item. While Americans intuitively know that national security is unlike any other category of federal spending, it is often treated with inherent bias through insider budgeting methods. Congress tends to selectively ignore what are called “baselines” used for comparing different spending proposals. This is convenient if a Member of Congress wants to generate more …
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) is no stranger to fights with party leadership. And he’s not holding back in his criticism of the so-called “Plan B” that’s being developed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). “It seems to be a cover-up,” DeMint said this afternoon in an exclusive interview with Heritage. “It’s like leaving the door to the federal vault open and looking the other way and saying we had nothing to do with the robbery.” He blamed President Obama for politicizing the …
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is making his second trip to the White House this week. Today he’ll be joined by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for an afternoon meeting with President Obama on the debt limit among other issues. The Democrats are plotting their next move in a game of chess with Republicans. Today at Heritage we’ll also host a member of the upper chamber. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) speaks at 9 a.m. ET about the security implications of U.S. debt at …
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), in an exclusive interview with Heritage, criticized her liberal colleagues for opposing Social Security reform, warning that they would rather increase taxes on businesses. Hutchison singled out Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) for his repeated assertions that Social Security is not in trouble. Reid has gone so far as to call it a “myth” perpetuated by conservatives. “It’s clearly in trouble if its own trustees say its going bankrupt in 25 years,” Hutchison said in the interview. “If that’s not a signal to …
President Obama continues his barnstorming tour today with a visit to Alcoa’s plant in Davenport, IA. He’ll be making another high-profile pitch for American manufacturing — the second in as many weeks — as he attempts to regain trust on the economy. A new McClatchy Newspapers-Marist poll reveals just 37 percent of registered voters approve of his handling of the economy. Obama is not the only politician in the Hawkeye State today. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is in Pella, IA, for the premiere of filmmaker Stephen Bannon’s new movie, …
