Congresspedia's "Congress in the News" updates, May 5-17, 2007
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- The NRCC announced that Dean Andal will challenge Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) in the race for California's 11th district in the 2008 U.S. congressional elections. (The Hill story)
- Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has sent a letter to the White House, threatening subpoenas over the Bush Administration's involvement in the U.S. attorney firings controversy. (The Hill story)
- Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) sent a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, berating him for not complying with a congressional subpoena for the release of Karl Rove's emails regarding the firing of 8 U.S. attorneys. (The Hill story)
- Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) announced that he would not challenge Sen. Gordon Smith in the 2008 U.S. congressional elections. (The Hill story)
- The Senate failed to invoke cloture on a measure, sponsored by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.), which would have cut off funding for most U.S. combat operations in Iraq by March 31, 2008. (The Hillstory)
- The Democratic House leadership has introduced the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (H.R.2316) to address issues such as the "revolving door" between lawmakers and lobbyists, "Astroturf lobbying", and campaign fundraising by lobbyists. (Roll Call story)
- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has agreed to delay a debate on a comprehensive immigration bill until next Monday, after bi-partisan negotiators asked for more time. (Politico story)
- Reps. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) and Robert Brady (D-Pa.) were both defeated in their respective bids for the Democratic nomination in the Philadelphia mayoral race. (Philadelphia Inquirer story)
- On May 15 Alberto Gonzales stated in an appearance at the National Press Club that Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, who announced his resignation on May 14, was the one who "signed off on the names" of the fired U.S. attorneys. (The Hill story)
- Rep. William Jefferson's (D-La.) lawyers appeared before a Washington, D.C. appeals court on May 15 arguing that the Constitution's Speech or Debate clause should have protected his Congressional offices from being raided by the FBI. (TPMmuckraker story)
- Redstate.com and other bloggers in conjunction with the Club for Growth have begun a campaign to remove Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) from the House Appropriations Committee. (The Hill story)
- Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has introduced two amendments to a water-resources bill, for the purpose of addressing the Iraq war. (The Hill story)
- On May 14, Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, an integral player in the U.S. attorney firings controversy, submitted his resignation, citing personal reasons. (CNN story)
- According to a May 14 ''Roll Call'' report, members of Alaskan congressional staff, including Rep. Don Young's (R-Alaska) daughter, stand to profit from land they bought in an uninhabited area outside of Anchorage because of an earmark for the construction of a connecting bridge to the area. (Roll Call story)
- A former business partner of former Congressmen - current Governor of Nevada Jim Gibbons, has stated that the Governor took a hundred thousand dollar bribe. (MSNBC story)
- Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) has recently met with New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, over what could become an independent ticket for the presidency. (The Hill story)
- According to a May 14 ''Washington Post'' story based off of newly acquired Department of Justice documents and interviews, nearly half of the U.S. attorneys slated for removal were targets of Republican complaints that they were lax on voter-fraud. (Washington Post story)
- Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) postponed seeking cloture on the immigration bill on Friday; seeking to avoid the threat of a Republican filibuster.(The Hill story)
- Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) will be expanding his congressional investigation of military contracts to include the Coast Guard's Deepwater Program.(The Hill story)
- Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) has been temporarily appointed House Appropriations Committee to replace Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.).(The Hill story)
- On May 10 the House passed a new version of the Iraq spending bill which would provide $42.8 billion, or half of Bush’s funding request, without any withdrawal timetables or domestic funding. (The Hill story)
- Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, has become the first chairman to video tape a hearing. Stating that "even the Congress" could do this. (The Hill story)
- Reps. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.) and Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), have introduced a measure requiring organizations and individuals who engage in grass-roots or so called "astroturf" lobbying, to register with the government and disclose certain financial information. (Roll Call story)
- The House Administration Committee has approved the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2007 (H.R.811). If enacted into law, this measure will require voter verified paper trails by the 2008 Presidential elections. (CNET news story)
- The House voted by voice vote to remove airplane travel restrictions. The new rules allow members to fly in a
"friend's" airplane for free. The rules change also provides that members who are certified pilots may again fly their own aircraft. (Chicago Tribune story) - Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.) has submitted his official resignation date of July 1, 2007 to the Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). (The Hill story)
- According to a statement, former U.S. attorney Todd Graves, who is scheduled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on May 15, suggested that he was asked to resign from his post because of "fiercely independent" views. (TPMmuckraker story)
- General Counsel of the House Geraldine Gennet announced that she will be stepping down from the position she has held for ten years in order to pursue opportunities in the private sector. (Politico story)
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) threatened to sue the Bush administration if it issues a signing statement, as it has suggested it would, with any future Iraq supplemental spending bill. (The Hill story)
- Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-Texas) criticized the FBI's investigation into him and his wife, describing the Justice Department's actions as "running amok." (The Hill story)
- Rep. Tom Allen (D-Maine) announced on May his intention to challenge Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) in the 2008 elections. (The Hill story)
- Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) announced on May 8 that a "grand bargain" had been reached on a comprehensive plan for new immigration legislation. (The Hill story)
- Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) berated Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) for voting against appropriations for the National Drug Intelligence Center, and responded in kind by threatening funding of a Boeing project in Tiahrt's district. (The Hill story)
- Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) is accusing embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales of timing FBI raids on his home to relieve pressure in regards to the congressional attorney firing hearings. (Hill News story)
- A bill to authorize improvements to rivers and harbors, which passed the House on April 19, has been held up in the Senate because of a Congressional Budget Office estimate that it would cost $31.5 billion. (Roll Call story)
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