Congresspedia's "Congress in the News" updates, Apr. 15 - May 4, 2007

by Conor Kenny — May 21, 2007 - 5:10pm
  • Topics: Congresspedia News Updates, U.S. Congress, Democracy, U.S. Government
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    • On May 4, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to top oil executives demanding an explanation for implementing policies that discourage the sale of ethanol, in contradiction to pledges made by the executives in a March 2006 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (The Hill story)
    • The House Ethics Committee passed, with unanimous consent, exemptions for congressional pilots from recently enacted travel restrictions. (Roll Call story)
    • In his testimony, former Deputy Attorney General James Comey both praised the job performance of seven of the eight fired U.S. attorneys, and denied any knowledge of plans to fire underperforming U.S. attorneys during his tenure. (CNN story)
    • Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has issued subpoenas for all of Karl Rove's e-mails related to the 2006 firing of eight U.S. attorneys. (The Hill story)
    • Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.), who is under federal investigation for several land deals, directed many earmarks in the 2005 transportation bill to his own business partners. (The Hill story)
    • Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) has called for William W. Mercer, the U.S. attorney for Montana, to resign after a federal judge found that he was "violating a federal law that requires him to live in Montana." (Washington Post story)
    • An attempt to override President Bush's veto of a supplemental spending bill which called for a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq failed to acquire the two-thirds majority necessary, 222-203. (CNN story)
    • The Senate Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena for all e-mails from White House adviser Karl Rove that relate to the firings of eight U.S. attorneys late in 2006. (The Hill story)
    • The Senate counterpart to the D.C. Voting Rights Act introduced on May 1 does not include an at-large seat for Utah, opting instead for a redistricting session before the 2008 elections. (The Hill story)
    • The National Republican Senatorial Committee has failed so far to recruit a single major candidate and has only raised about half of the money as its Democratic counterpart for the 2008 elections. (The Hill story)
    • In January Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) took out a $500,000 second mortgage on his Flagstaff home to pay for additional taxes as part of a deal with the FEC. (The Hill story)
    • President Bush has vetoed a supplemental spending bill which would have provided $96 billion for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, as well as called for a phased U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq. (CNN story)
    • On May 1 the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena to former Deputy Attorney General James Comey, who agreed to testify on May 3 regarding the U.S. attorney firings controversy. (The Hill story)
    • According to FEC documents, Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) avoided stiffer fines for contribution reporting violations by agreeing to pay additional federal and state taxes. (The Hill story)
    • The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) in a civil suit brought against Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wa.) regarding the disclosure of an illegally obtained phone conversation recorded in 1996. (The Hill story)
    • Despite a walkout in bipartisan negotiations, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that he "firmly intends to start the floor debate the week of May 14" on immigration legislation. (Politico story)
    • Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) are expected to introduce the Senate counterpart bill to the D.C. Voting Rights measure that passed in the House on April 19. (Roll Call] story)
    • On April 19, the same day the FBI raided his family business, House Ethics Committee aides pulled Rep. Rick Renzi's financial disclosure records, signaling a possible investigation. (Roll Call story)
    • All charges against Phillip Thompson, Sen. Jim Webb's (D-Va.) assistant who attempted to carry a pistol into a Senate office building in March, were dropped. (The Hill story)
    • Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on April 29 that she would not comply with the House Oversight Committee subpoena. (The Hill story)
    • Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) has stated that he would not resign and that he is "looking forward to continuing to serve the people of the 1st district for the next two years." (Roll Call story)
    • Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) is being encouraged by Republican leadership to resign from his office as pressure builds from multiple scandals. (The Business Journal story)
    • An anonymous senator has blocked the campaign finance electronic filing bill from moving forward under a closed rule. This marks the second time this has happened to the legislation. (Sunlight Foundation story)
    • Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) has failed to disclose some $200,000 in payments connected to a 2005 land swap, which is currently under investigation by the Justice Department. (The Hill story)
    • Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) will be introducing a bill to repeal the 2006 ban on internet gambling. The increase in tax revenue would be slated for domestic policy expenditures. (The Hill story)
    • The House passed the Iraq supplemental spending bill setting timetables for a U.S. combat troop withdrawal, 218-208. (The Hill story)
    • Sen. Mel Martinez, (R-Fla.) general chairman of the Republican National Committee, is facing charges of campaign finance irregularities stemming from his 2004 Senate race. (Politico story)
    • The Department of Justices is investigating Rep. Tom Feeney's (R-Fla.) connection to Jack Abramoff. The Congressmen released a statement saying that he was 'voluntarily cooperating'. (The Hill story)
    • Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) has stepped down from the Resources and Financial Services Committees following an FBI raid of his Arizona business, last week. (The Hill story)
    • Mark Zachares, a former staffer to Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands employee, was arrested on charges stemming from his involvement in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal. (The Hill story)
    • Senate Republicans have blocked the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2007 from reaching a floor vote, citing that the majority did not allow the consideration of any amendments. Democrats have countered by saying that the amendments were not germane. (The Hill story)
    • The House and Senate have reached a compromise over the Iraq war supplemental funding bill, authorizing some $124 billion in additional spending. This measure is expected to be vetoed by President Bush. (Washington Post story)
    • Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' April 19 testimony "damaging to the administration." (Washington Post story)
    • Rep. Juanita Millender McDonald (D-Calif.) died of cancer on April 21, 2007. (TIMES Wires story)
    • Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) resigned from the House Appropriations Committee following the FBI raid on his house. (Fox News story)
    • On April 19 the House passed the District of Columbia Fair and Equal Voting Rights Act of 2007 with a vote of 241-177. (The Hill story)
    • Prompted by the April 19 FBI raid on his family's private business, Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) has temporarily resigned from the House Intelligence Committee. (The Hill story)
    • Yesterday's FBI raid on Rep. John Doolittle's (R-Calif.) home was focused on Julie Doolittle’s (his wife) lobbying company, Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions Inc., and fundraising records related to convicted former lobbyist Jack Abramoff. (Roll Call story)
    • Rep. William Jefferson's (D-La.) District Director, Stephanie Butler, has been subpoenaed to appear before a Virginia-based grand jury in connection with the ongoing federal investigation into the congressman. (The Hill story)
    • Employing a new strategy to prevent Republican obstruction attempts, House Democrats have reintroduced a bill which would provide a voting member of the House to the District of Columbia. (Roll Call story)
    • ''Roll Call'' is reporting that the FBI has just raided Rep. John Doolittle's (D-Calif.) Northern Virginia home. (Roll Call story)
    • A motion to invoke cloture and bring the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007 to the floor in the Senate was blocked by Republican senators. (The Hill story)
    • The Republican National Committee has agreed to defer the release of RNC emails to the White House, following a request made in a letter from the White House to the RNC on April 17. (Washington Post story)
    • Rep Jim Moran (D-Va.), has issued criticism of President Bush for letting the assault weapons ban expire saying that,"if he's serious about doing whatever he can to stop the potential for this carnage [the Virginia Tech Massacre], that might be one place to start." (Politico story)
    • The scheduled April 18 House Judiciary Committee vote to grant immunity to Monica Goodling was pushed back one week. (The Hill story)
    • Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) has re-affirmed his anti gun-control stance saying, "People are a little more cautious if somebody might have a gun there." (Politico story)
    • Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine) is likely to enter the 2008 senatorial race against Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), according to his campaign manager. (The Hill story)
    • The Senate Ethics Committee confirmed in the language of a resolution adopted on April 17 that Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M) is the subject of a "preliminary inquiry" regarding his involvement in the firing of U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias. (Politico story)
    • Rep. and Philadelphia mayoral candidate Chaka Fattah (D-Penn.) has admitted to violating Philadelphia campaign finance law. (Philly.com story)
    • House Administration Committee Chair Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Calif.) is taking a leave of absence from Congress until May 25 due to a recent cancer diagnosis. (The Hill story)
    • The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on April 18 whether or not to grant immunity to Monica Goodling in return for her testimony regarding the firing of eight U.S. attorneys. (The Hill story)
    • The House task force charged with investigating the alleged voting machine failure in Florida's 13th House district, will have its first meeting today. The Congressional seat was awarded to Vern Buchanan by 369 votes; over 18,000 votes may have been effected.(The Hill story)
    • The Senate has decided to delay the Gonzales testimony until Thursday April the 19th, because of the shootings at Virginia Tech. ( Washington Post story)
    • House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) have created a joint Political Action Committee, after setting new quarterly fund raising records (The Hill story)