Spending cuts pose new threat to U.S. economy
By Daniel Wagner
POSTED: November 18, 2011
Tags: Congress, deficit, Economy, spending cuts, supercommittee
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Just as the U.S. economy is making progress despite Europe’s turmoil, here come two new threats. A congressional panel is supposed to agree by Thanksgiving on a deficit-reduction package of at least $1.2 trillion. If it fails, federal spending would automatically be cut by that amount starting in 2013. Congress may also [...]
Stalemated debt-reduction panel members cast blame
By The Associated Press
POSTED: November 17, 2011
Tags: Congress, debt-reduction panel, supercommittee
WASHINGTON — Increasingly gripped by stalemate, Republicans and Democrats on a congressional deficit-reduction supercommittee now seem to be devoting more time to assigning blame than working through the sharp differences that divide them. Despite small steps in recent weeks toward addressing core solutions to the nation’s intractable deficit problem, such as new taxes and curbs [...]
Congress nears OK of bill for vets, contractors
By The Associated Press
POSTED: November 16, 2011
Tags: Congress, contractors, jobs bill, veterans
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats and Republicans rallied on a rare patch of common ground Wednesday, moving toward passage of legislation helping unemployed veterans and government contractors. The GOP-run House was expected to give the measure near unanimous approval, less than a week after the Democratic-led Senate passed it 95-0. It would represent the first tiny [...]
Congressional leaders ask FAA to change rules 
By Daily Record Staff
POSTED: November 16, 2011
Tags: Congress, FAA, rule change
Western New York representatives are asking the FAA to implement recommendations in a government report citing problems with oversight of pilot training. In the “Initial Pilot Training; Better Management Controls are Needed to Improve FAA Oversight” report, released this week, the Government Accountability Office finds the FAA may not have conducted mandatory inspections of pilot [...]
Congress moves to end Fannie, Freddie bonuses
By The Associated Press
POSTED: November 15, 2011
Tags: Congress, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac
WASHINGTON — Congress is seeking to end the practice of paying million-dollar bonuses to executives at government-controlled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The House Financial Services Committee approved legislation Tuesday that would suspend $12.8 million in Fannie and Freddie executive compensation packages and stop future bonuses. The vote was 52-4, with strong support [...]
Chief Justice Roberts invokes Hendrix
By The Associated Press
POSTED: October 6, 2011
Tags: Chief Justice John Roberts, Congress, Copyright protection, Jimi Hendrix, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
WASHINGTON — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg invoked Aaron Copland. The chief justice countered with Jimi Hendrix. The high court’s generational divide was on display Wednesday as the justices heard arguments about whether Congress acted properly in extending U.S. copyright protection to millions of works …
Obama, Congress divided over terror suspects
By The Associated Press
POSTED: October 5, 2011
Tags: administration policies, Congress, Guantanamo Bay, President Barack Obama, terror suspects
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has tracked down and killed Osama bin Laden, Anwar al-Awlaki and other al-Qaida leaders. Yet, in spite of those successes, Republicans and some Democrats in Congress remain intent on challenging the administration’s policies for handling captured terror suspects.
Bill to avert another FAA shutdown passes House
By The Associated Press
POSTED: September 13, 2011
Tags: Congress, FAA, funding, shutdown, stopgap bill
WASHINGTON — The House on Tuesday approved a stopgap bill intended to avoid a shutdown of federal highway and aviation programs, with Senate action expected later this week. The bill, which passed by a voice vote …
Lawmakers call for hearing on U.S. Supreme Court recusal bill
By Dolan Media Newswires
POSTED: September 9, 2011
Tags: Congress, lawmakers, recusal bill, U.S. supreme court
First Monday at the U.S. Supreme Court is just around the corner, and some congressional Democrats are stepping up their push to try to make Supreme Court justices step aside in cases where they have financial or political ties.
State can’t sue to strike down Obama health care reform law
By Dolan Media Newswires
POSTED: September 9, 2011
Tags: 4th Circuit, Congress, health care legislation, individual mandate, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, virginia
A state lacked standing to challenge the individual mandate authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the 4th Circuit has ruled in reversing a decision declaring portions of the statute unconstitutional.
U.S. overhauls patent system
By Eric Walter
POSTED: September 9, 2011
Tags: America Invents Act, Congress, intellectual property law, overhaul, patent system
Federal lawmakers gave the U.S. patent system its first major overhaul since 1952 last week, when the U.S. Senate passed the America Invents Act 89 to 9. But will the law, which has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives and will now go to President Barack Obama …
Maffei to run for Congress
By The Associated Press
POSTED: August 24, 2011
Tags: Congress, Democrats, Maffei, Syracuse
Former Democratic Congressman Dan Maffei says he’s running again for the 25th Congressional District seat in upstate New York.
