Congresspedia's "Congress in the News" updates, Jan. 13-Feb. 2
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- Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) has quit the Congressional Hispanic Caucus after alleging that chairman Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.) called her an offensive name. (Politico story)
- The House of Representatives passed a Continuing Resolution to provide appropriations for the federal government for 2007 after the previous Congress failed to pass 9 of 11 appropriations bills last year. The vote was 286-140. (Associated Press story)
- Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) officially announced his candidacy in the 2008 presidential election. (The Hill story)
- Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) voiced objections to working with Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) to create a new data security task force in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). This contradicts earlier assertions by Dingell that he was unaware that discussions on the task force were underway. (The Hill story)
- Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.), who is under investigation by the FBI for his land deals, was named the ranking member of the Oversight and Investigative Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee. (The Hill story)
- Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) sent a bill to the Senate floor last night calling for complete troop withdrawal from Iraq by March 31, 2008. (Washington Post story)
- The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is examining a report released from private advocacy groups which presents evidence of political pressure on government climate scientists in efforts to “downplay” the threat of global warming. (Washington Post story)
- Former Reps. Jeb Bradley (R-N.H.) and Jim Ryun (R-Kan.) have stated that they will challenge Democratic Reps. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H) and Nancy Boyda (D-Kan) in 2008. Each lost to these respective members in 2006. (Hill News story)
- Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Chair Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) said his panel will focus on health care, law enforcement and other pressing issues in the Native American community. (Hill News story)
- Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) backed out of planned talks with Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) which would have aimed at developing a compromise resolution opposing a troop surge in Iraq. (Washington Post story)
- Former Republican Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee announced the creation of an exploratory committee to consider a 2008 presidential bid. (Bloomberg story)
- Rep. Mary Bono (R-Calif.) became the first member of Congress outside New York to endorse former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani's 2008 presidential bid. (Desert Sun story)
- Texas prosecutors are appealing the dismissal of conspiracy charges against former House Majority Leader Tom Delay in connection with the Texas redistricting scandal. (Yahoo News story)
- Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), who recently announced he is considering running for president, criticized race-based caucuses, claiming that the use of race as a "prerequisite for any organization’s membership" is unethical. (The Hill story)
- Six senators have introduced a bipartisan bill that would ban the importation of goods made under "sweatshop" conditions. (Boston Globe story)
- Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) has officially launched his bid to run for president in 2008. (CNN story)
- Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) introduced a bill aimed at providing $5 billion for stem cell research that does not involve the destruction of human embryos. (Star Tribune story)
- After being out-fundraised by the DSCC in 2006, the NRSC, under the leadership of Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev), has set a goal of $118 million for the 2008 cycle. (Hill News story)
- Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) announced that he will not be running in the 2008 presidential election, opting to remain in the Senate. (Political Wire story)
- The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations approved a non-binding resolution stating that an increase in U.S. troop levels in Iraq is "not in the national interest." (CNN story)
- A provision in the recently passed Senate ethics bill banning lawmakers’ spouses from lobbying the chamber includes a loophole for spouses who began lobbying at least one year before a members' election. (Roll Call story)
- The House passed a law denying convicted congressmen of their pensions beginning with the 110th session. (Washington Post story)
- Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been asked by a group of House Democrats to give a briefing regarding the role of Guantanamo Bay military contractors in detainee torture. (The Hill story)
- The Senate Intelligence Committee plans to open oversight hearings today on the application of the 2004 intelligence overhaul law, which among other things, authorized the director of national intelligence to integrate the spy community. (CQ Today story)
- Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.) declared his intentions to enter the Philadelphia mayoral race, where he will compete against Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) in the Democratic primary. (Philadelphia Inquirer story)
- The DCCC’s Frontline program, which is intended to help “vulnerable” Democrats win reelection, will now be led by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.). (The Hill story)
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) rejected the formation of a new bipartisan oversight committee, proposed by House Republican leadership, to monitor President Bush’s Iraq plan. (The Hill story)
- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson announced that he has formed a presidential exploratory committee; his first official step towards candidacy in the 2008 presidential election. (CNN story)
- The House voted unanimously (416-0) to reform the House Page Board in the wake of the Mark Foley page scandal. (The Hill story)
- Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) formally announced his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election at a rally in Topeka, Kansas on Saturday. (Washington Post story)
- Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) announced she will form an exploratory committee to consider a run for president in 2008. (Washington Post story)
- The House passed a bill to repeal several tax breaks previously afforded to the oil and gas industries, as well as introduce new fees. Most of the estimated $15 billion in revenue expected to be generated by the bill would go towards research and development for renewable energy sources. (Washington Post story)
- Convicted former Rep. Bob Ney was sentenced to 30 months in prison, 2 years of probation, and a $6,000 fine for his role in the Jack Abramoff scandal. (Washington Post story)
- The Senate overwhelmingly passed the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007 by a 96-2 vote after a dispute involving provisions for line item veto was resolved. (New York Times story)
- The Defense Department has released a manual for the trials of War on Terror detainees. The manual basically implements the provisions of the Military Commissions Act of 2006. Incoming House Committee on Armed Services chair Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) has promised to scrutinize the manual for constitutional problems. (Washington Post story)
- Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) has reintroduced a bill which stalled last year calling for full representation for the District of Columbia in the House. (DC Vote story)
- The Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007 has stalled after a debate over whether or not to include a provision instituting a presidential line-item veto. (Roll Call story)
- Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) is calling for President Bush to "establish the conditions that will lead to political stability in Somalia." (Hill News story)
- The House passed legislation yesterday that would cut interest rates on student loans, a program that could save some students over $2,000 of loan repayment. (Washington Post story)
- Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) confirmed that as Judiciary Committee chairman last year, he added a last-minute provision to a bill that expanded the administration's power to appoint U.S. Attorneys without Senate approval. (TPMMuckraker.com story)
- Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) was chosen to deliver the official Democratic response to President Bush's State of the Union address next week. (Washington Post story)
- Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) took his first step towards candidacy in the 2008 presidential election by announcing the formation of a presidential exploratory committee. (CNN story)
- Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) announced that he will not seek re-election in 2008. (Washington Post story)
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