Robert Hurt: Fixing a broken budget system
At a time when we in the House have been waiting on the Senate to take action and join our focused agenda of enacting measures that would reduce our staggering $15 trillion debt, the Senate acted – but they acted in a way that was dismissive of their responsibility to the American people and in direct conflict with the necessary goal of passing a budget in order to restore our country to fiscal sustainability.
Though Congress is legally required to pass a budget each fiscal year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that the Senate would not allow a vote on a fiscal year 2013 budget resolution – marking the third straight year that the Senate has abdicated its legislative duties and not passed a budget. Read more
Warner proposals on transit safety, development incorporated into Senate bill
U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) joined colleagues on both sides of the aisle in passing legislation out of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs to make improvements to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s public transportation programs.
The legislation included new safety standards championed by Sen. Warner in the wake of a fatal 2009 Metro accident, and incorporates Senator Warner’s legislation authorizing grants for localities to promote transit-oriented development.
The bill passed on Thursday includes critical provisions aimed at establishing minimum performance standards for public transportation systems, strengthening enforcement powers and providing states with resources for training and oversight. It draws on legislation that Senator Warner introduced earlier this Congress with Sens. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Jim Webb (D-Va.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Read more
Andy Schmookler: People Power
One of my campaign slogans is “Let’s show how People Power can defeat the Money Power.” The issue of money in politics was the topic of the first piece I wrote that appeared in national media. This was back in the 1970s.
There is hardly a policy issue more central to defining what America will be.
Will we be true to the democratic vision, in which every citizen is entitled to an equal say in determining our destiny as a nation? Or will the inequalities of wealth our economy produces be allowed to corrode that democratic sense of justice, and effectively put our government up for auction? Read more
Bill Clifford: Your vote vs. their money
Career politicians in the U.S. Congress are quick to reach out to voters around election time. This is natural since it is the voters who will determine who gets elected. However, these politicians are continuously reaching out to special interests who supply the large amounts of money needed to run a successful campaign. So, the voters supply the votes and the special interests supply the money.
The problem here is that the voters and the special interests are different groups with different expectations. Voters expect politicians to represent the country and their local district. Special interests expect favors for themselves and their companies. Voters never have enough money to get the attention of members of Congress after the election. Read more
Robert Hurt: American solutions for job creation
The recent December unemployment report provides welcome news that more jobs were created last month at a time when so many are struggling. And while signifying a step in the right direction nationally, the simple fact remains that there are still too many in Central and Southside Virginia out of work, and there is still much that is yet to be done as we begin the second session of the 112th Congress.
The House has shown that there are bipartisan solutions to our jobs crisis, and now we need the Senate to act. Over the past year, we have been fully focused on promoting pro-growth measures that would stimulate the economy and provide an environment for job creators to hire and expand. And in the new year, I remain committed to promoting policies that facilitate job growth so that we can get our economy back on track and create jobs in Central and Southside Virginia. Read more
Frank Knapp Jr.: The Corporate Attorneys Full Employment Act
Congress is considering a proposal that portends to offer commonsense rules to affect how federal agencies analyze costs and benefits. Instead it will be disastrous to taxpayers, small and mid-sized businesses and the country as a whole.
The Regulatory Accountability Act of 2011 (RAA), which passed in the U.S. House, provides extensively detailed procedures for agencies in promulgating regulations that are projected to have a minimum effect of at least $100 million on the U.S. economy.
However, a thorough reading of the proposal leads to three conclusions. First, it will likely drive up the cost of almost every rule-making process and budget of a federal agency. Second, federally elected officials will be stripped of their ability to responsibly lead our country. And third, it’s a highway to never-ending lawsuits by special interests against the federal government. Read more
Robert Hurt: The legislative line-item veto
Posted by afp on February 15, 2012 · Leave a Comment
One of these measures was H.R. 3521, sponsored by Representative Paul Ryan, which would grant the president the authority to veto wasteful spending provisions in appropriations bills and send such provisions back to Congress for an up or down vote to reduce the deficit. Read more
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with budget, congress, federal budget, line item veto, robert hurt