Primary Coverage - An Insider’s View
Robert L. Ehrlich
The next major stop on the long road to the Republican nomination is Illinois, where polls have Governor Romney with a narrow lead over Senator Santorum. More »
As Gas Prices Go Up, President Obama’s Approval Ratings Go Down
Allison F. Kassir
Although economists generally agree rising gas prices cannot be controlled by the President of the United States and are instead the result of a global market, unrest in the Middle East, and increasing demand from other countries such as China, the political reality is that the President always gets blamed. More »
Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments on Constitutionality of Health Care Reform Law
Preeya Noronha Pinto
In one of the most highly anticipated legal cases in recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the constitutionality of President Obama's health care reform law next week. More »
Surface Transportation Reauthorization - Another Short-Term Extension or a Multi-Year Bill?
William Clarkson
With a March 31st statutory deadline fast approaching and a two-week Congressional recess scheduled to begin on April 2nd, it is still unclear as to how Congressional leaders will reach agreement on "must-pass" legislation to authorize funding for U.S. highway, mass transit and transportation safety programs. More »
House Republican Leaders Attempt to Thread Budget Needle
George C. Crawford
As expected, the House Republican Leadership is trying to finesse the spending levels in the 2013 Budget Resolution. Saying that the negotiated levels in the August Deficit Reduction Act were "ceilings", the House Leadership is looking at a possible rebellion from fiscally conservative members - many of whom are members of the House Republican Study Committee - who want significant reductions from the $1.0147 trillion contained in that agreement to be reflected in the 2013 Budget Resolution. More »
Energy Tax Provisions Remain in Limbo
Thomas J. Spulak, Allison F. Kassir
Last week the Senate considered the fate of a number of expired or soon-to- expire energy tax provisions, including the production tax credit for the wind industry and the Section 1603 grant program. As has been the case for some time, lawmakers were unable to arrive at a conclusion, deferring the issue to a later date. More »
Ex-Im Bank Reauthorization Faces Challenge
William Clarkson
During its consideration of House-passed securities legislation (H.R. 3606) earlier this week, Senate Democrats successfully attached an amendment to the bill which would reauthorize the Export-Import Bank's ("Ex-Im Bank" or the "Bank") charter. More »
Possible Round of Base Closures
William C. Talmadge
As part of its efforts to comply with ever-tightening budget pressures, the Department of Defense has asked Congress for permission to open two more rounds of the base realignment and closure process. The first hearing to be held specifically addressing the issue was convened by the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee on March 7th. More »
In an Election Year, Federal Authorities Crackdown on Campaign Finance Violations
Thomas J. Spulak, Claudia A. Hrvatin
On March 13, the former CEO of the Fiesta Bowl, John Junker, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona to one count of felony conspiracy for his role in a scheme from 2003 to 2010 that involved making federal campaign contributions in the name of another, making false statements to the FEC, and defrauding the US through “deceitful and dishonest means by impairing, impeding, obstructing and defeating the lawful functions and duties of the IRS.” If convicted, Junker could face up to 2.5 years in prison. More »
BOEM Proposes Amendments to the Safety and Environmental Management Systems Rule for Oil and Gas Operators
Jim Vines, Stephanie Salek
Two recent rulemakings by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) mark the first significant rule promulgations related to environmental safety in offshore drilling since the Deepwater Horizon/ BP Macondo disaster. More »
National Journal Names the Most Ideologically Extreme Members of Congress
On February 21st, National Journal came out with it’s annual vote ratings of the most ideologically extreme members of Congress. More »
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