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CONGRESS: the Republican led House :::::: Do the People’s Business :::::: the Senate led by Democrats

02/26/2013 Nativegrl77

The Senate stands in adjournment until 10:00am on Tuesday, February 26, 2013.

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Executive Calendar #10, the nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel with the time until 12:00pm equally divided and controlled.
At 12:00pm, there will be a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Hagel nomination, upon reconsideration. (Cloture was not invoked on February 14, 2013 and Senator Reid entered a motion to reconsider.)
Following the vote, the Senate will recess until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.
If cloture is invoked on the Hagel nomination, all time during recess, morning business and adjournment will count post-cloture on the Hagel nomination.
12:00 noon The Senate began a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on
Executive Calendar #10, the nomination of Charles Timothy
Hagel, of Nebraska, to be Secretary of Defense;
Upon reconsideration, cloture on the Hagel nomination was invoked by a vote of 71-27.The Senate then reached an agreement to yield back remaining post-cloture debate time and at 4:30pm today vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #10, the nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel, of Nebraska, to be Secretary of Defense.
4:31pm The Senate began a roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #10, the nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel, of Nebraska, to be Secretary of Defense;
Hagel confirmed 58 – 41

The Senate is now in a period of morning business with senators permitted to
speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. There will be no further roll call
votes during today’s session of the Senate.
WRAP UP
ROLL CALL VOTES1) Motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #10, the nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel, of Nebraska, to be Secretary of Defense, upon reconsideration; Invoked: 71-272) Confirmation of Executive Calendar #10, the nomination of Charles Timothy Hagel, of Nebraska, to be Secretary of Defense; Confirmed: 58-41
LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

Adopted S.Res.56, recognizing the significance of the 100^th anniversary of the death of Harriet Ross Tubman.

Adopted S.Res.57, designating February 28, 2013, as “Rare Disease Day”.

No EXECUTIVE ITEMS

This evening Senator Reid moved to proceed to Calendar #18, S.388, American Family Economic Protection Act of 2013 and filed cloture on the motion. Senators should expect the cloture vote to occur on Thursday.The Senate also reached an agreement that the order with respect to the sequester legislation be modified to permit the Republican Leader to introduce a bill on Wednesday, February 27^th, consistent with the language that is at the desk and that all other provisions of the previous order remain in effect

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Watch Most Recent House Floor Activity

Last Floor Action: 2/25
9:18:53 P.M. – The House adjourned.

The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on February 26, 2013.

10:00:00 A.M.		The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
10:01:38 A.M.		The Speaker designated the Honorable Kevin Yoder to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
10:02:04 A.M.		The House received a message from the Senate. The Senate passed S. 298.
10:02:10 A.M.		MORNING-HOUR DEBATE – The House proceeded with Morning-Hour debate. At the conclusion of Morning-Hour, the House will recess until 12:00 p.m. for the start of legislative business.
11:09:52 A.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 P.M. today.
11:59:59 A.M.		The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of February 26.
12:00:32 P.M.		Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Patrick J. Conroy.
12:01:14 P.M.		POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS ON APPROVAL OF THE JOURNAL – The Chair announced that he had examined the Journal of the last day’s proceedings and had approved it. Mr. Rogers (AL) demanded that the question be put on agreeing to the Speaker’s approval of the Journal and by voice vote, the Chair announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Rogers (AL) demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of agreeing to the Speaker’s approval of the Journal until later in the legislative day.
12:01:54 P.M.		PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Mr. Higgins to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
12:02:15 P.M.		ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches which by direction of the Chair, would be limited to 15 per side of the aisle.
12:29:47 P.M.		The Speaker announced that votes on suspensions, if ordered, will be postponed until a time to be announced.
12:29:58 P.M.	H. Res. 77	Mrs. Miller (MI) moved to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution. H. Res. 77 — “Establishing an academic competition in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics among students in Congressional districts.”
12:30:17 P.M.	H. Res. 77	Considered under suspension of the rules.
12:30:19 P.M.	H. Res. 77	DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H. Res. 77.

12:56:31 P.M.	H. Res. 77	At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
12:56:50 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is subject to the call of the Chair.

3:00:50 P.M.

The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of February 26.

3:00:56 P.M.

Mr. Massie moved that the House do now adjourn.

3:27:50 P.M.

On motion to adjourn Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 1 – 415 (Roll no. 48).

3:28:15 P.M.

HOUSE DECORUM – The Speaker assumed the Chair and addressed the Members on matters of decorum in the House. At the conclusion of his remarks, the Speaker announced that five-minute voting would resume without objection.

3:32:35 P.M.

H. Res. 77

Considered as unfinished business. H. Res. 77 — “Establishing an academic competition in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics among students in Congressional districts.”

3:42:08 P.M.

H. Res. 77

On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 411 – 3 (Roll no. 49).

3:42:09 P.M.

H. Res. 77

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

3:49:22 P.M.

On approving the Journal Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 290 – 118, 1 Present (Roll no. 50).

3:50:05 P.M.

The House received a communication from the Honorable James B. Renacci. Mr. Renacci submitted his resignation from the Committees on the Budget and Financial Services. The resignation was accepted without objection.

3:50:05 P.M.

The House received a communication from the Honorable Andy Harris. Mr. Harris submitted his resignation from the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Science, Space and Technology. The resignation was accepted without objection.

3:50:05 P.M.

The House received a communication from the Honorable Steve Southerland II. Mr. Southerland submitted his resignation from the Committee on Agriculture. The resignation was accepted without objection.

3:52:24 P.M.

UNANIMOUS CONSENT – Mr. Jeff Miller (FL) asked unanimous consent that he may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.J. Res. 19, a measure originally introduced by Representative Emerson of Missouri, for the purposes of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of Rule 12.

3:52:56 P.M.

ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with further one minute speeches.

4:08:58 P.M.

H. Res. 82

Considered as privileged matter. H. Res. 82 — “Electing certain Members to certain standing committees of the House of Representatives.”

4:09:11 P.M.

H. Res. 82

On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection.

4:09:16 P.M.

H. Res. 82

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

4:09:47 P.M.

SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House has concluded all anticipated legislative business and has proceeded to Special Order speeches.

4:47:58 P.M.

The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is subject to the call of the Chair.

7:13:00 P.M.		The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of February 26.
7:13:10 P.M.		Mr. Nugent filed a report from the Committee on Rules on H. Res. 83.
7:14:00 P.M.		Mr. Nugent moved that the House do now adjourn.
7:14:03 P.M.		On motion to adjourn Agreed to by voice vote.
7:14:10 P.M.		The House adjourned. The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on February 27, 2013.

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Weekly Address: Congress Must Act Now to Stop the Sequester.

02/25/2013 Nativegrl77

President Obama urges Congress to stop the sequester — the harmful automatic cuts that threaten thousands of jobs and affect our national security from taking effect on March 1.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Weekly Women’s Update: Averting the Sequester and Reducing the Deficit

02/24/2013 Nativegrl77

Greetings All-

We hope this message finds you well.

Just 7 days from now, Congress might permit a series of severe and automatic budget cuts, called the “sequester,” to go into effect. Read the President’s proposal to resolve the sequester and reduce our deficit by over $4 trillion dollars in a balanced way. You can also view the President’s remarks on the importance of Congress finding a balanced approach to deficit reduction that doesn’t harm our economy or the middle class.

Join us for a call about the sequester on Tuesday, February 26 at 10:30am. RSVP details are below.

President Obama was in Chicago last Friday to talk about the importance of making sure every child in America has every chance in life to succeed. The President laid out a plan to rebuild ladders of opportunity for every American who is willing to work hard and climb them.

The White House Champions of Change program highlights the stories and examples of citizens who are moving their communities forward. This March’s event will focus on Women Veterans’ contributions within the veterans’ community. Nominate a woman veteran as a Champion of Change by midnight on Tuesday, February 26.

Best wishes,

The White House Council on Women & Girls

Engage With The White House About The Sequester

You are invited to join a call with senior White House officials on Tuesday, February 26 at 10:30am EDT to discuss the President’s call for Congress to replace harmful cuts with a balanced approach to deficit reduction.

Participants must preregister for this teleconference at http://ems6.intellor.com?p=600025&do=register&t=1. Once the participant registers, a confirmation page will display dial-in numbers and a unique PIN, and the participant will also receive an email confirmation of this information. This call is off the record and not for press purposes.

President Obama: Automatic Budget Cuts Will Hurt Economy, Slow Recovery, and Put People Out of Work.

Just 7 days from now, Congress might permit a series of severe and automatic budget cuts, called the “sequester,” that will hurt our economic growth, add hundreds of thousands of Americans to the unemployment rolls, and threaten military readiness. President Obama said Tuesday morning:

“Now, if Congress allows this meat-cleaver approach to take place, it will jeopardize our military readiness; it will eviscerate job-creating investments in education and energy and medical research. It won’t consider whether we’re cutting some bloated program that has outlived its usefulness, or a vital service that Americans depend on every single day. It doesn’t make those distinctions.”

But, these cuts don’t have to happen — Congress has the power to stop them. The President has called on Congress to find a balanced approach to deficit reduction that combines tax reform with additional spending reforms – an approach that doesn’t harm our economy or the middle class.

View the President’s complete remarks on the sequester here:

A Balanced Plan to Avert the Sequester and Reduce the Deficit

The President and Congressional Democrats have put forward solutions to avoid the sequester’s severe cuts and allow time for both sides to work on a long-term, balanced solution to our deficit challenges.

The President is serious about cutting spending, reforming entitlements and the tax code to reduce the deficit in a balanced way. The question is, will Congressional Republicans come to the table to get something done?

The President’s proposal resolves the sequester and reduces our deficit by over $4 trillion dollars in a balanced way- by cutting spending, finding savings in entitlement programs and asking the wealthiest to pay their fair share. As a result the deficit would be cut below its historic average and the debt would fall as a share of the economy over the next decade. View the President’s plan here.

We can’t just cut our way to prosperity. Even as we look for ways to reduce deficits over the long term, we must grow the economy in a way that strengthens the middle class and everyone willing to work hard to get into it.

We hope that Congressional Republicans come to the table for the sake of middle class families, our national security and our future today.

Deficits as a share of GDP

Giving Every Child a Chance in Life

President Obama was in Chicago on Friday to talk about the importance of making sure every child in America has every chance in life to succeed. Speaking at the Hyde Park Career Academy, which is less than a mile from the Obama’s home in that city, the President laid out a plan to rebuild ladders of opportunity for every American who is willing to work hard and climb them. This includes making sure every child in America has access to high-quality pre-K, and raising the minimum wage so that no family that works hard and relies on a minimum wage is living in poverty. But creating a path into the middle class also means transforming high-poverty communities into places of opportunity that can attract private investment, improve education, and create jobs.

Read the President’s remarks on his plan to make that happen.

Champions of Change: Women Veterans

The White House Champions of Change program highlights the stories and examples of citizens across the country who are “Winning the Future” with projects and initiatives that move their communities forward.

This March, the White House Office of Public Engagement will host a Champions of Change event for Women Veterans to highlight their contributions within the veterans’ community, especially female veterans who served in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. We know many Women Veterans continue to role model leadership and a dedication to service, often continuing engagement within the veterans’ and military families’ community.

We are asking for your help to identify women veterans that may be “Champions of Change.”

For example, a champion’s work may entail:

Improving health care services available to women and children
Helping women veterans transition into the workforce
Leading programs to improve the well-being of young women
Developing a program to support victims of domestic violence or trauma
Helping engage and support Wounded Warriors transition to new careers
Providing services and support to eliminate homelessness

Nominate a woman veteran as a Champion of Change.

Please submit nominations by midnight on Tuesday, February 26

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Are you on the Sequester cut list ?

02/23/2013 Nativegrl77

ThinkProgress War Room

Budgets are statements of values and priorities. What the GOP is preparing to do in less than a week says a lot about their priorities. Instead of closing tax loopholes and making smart spending cuts, the GOP is going to let damaging across the board spending cuts kick in next Friday. These cuts will not only damage the economy, they’ll hurt individual families and communities across the country.

Check out what eliminating just two giveaways to the wealthy and corporation could pay for. For example, we could avoid painful cuts to investments in jobs and education just by ending a giveaway to corporate jet owners”

And we could stop harmful cuts to children and families with disabilities if we just stopped letting the wealthiest Americans get tax breaks for the vacation homes and yachts:

Instead of asking the wealthiest Americans and special interests like Big Oil and Wall Street to pay their fair share, Republicans are insisting that families, including the most vulnerable among us, shoulder the burden of reducing our deficit and debt.

BOTTOM LINE: There’s still a week left to avert the damaging and painful sequester cuts. All Republicans have to do is agree to a balanced approach that replaces the indiscriminate cuts with both new revenues and smarter, targeted spending cuts.

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You Might’ve Missed

Flying will be even more unpleasant thanks to the sequester (if you’re local airport isn’t simply closed).

House Republicans quietly introduce watered-down Violence Against Women Act.

Ted Cruz goes full Joe McCarthy.

5 important stories in Africa that don’t involve Oscar Pistorious.

Maryland is on the verge of repealing the death penalty.

Here’s 5 ways the sequester might make you sick.

New abortion bill in Indiana mandates two transvaginal probes.

Why taxes must go up.

How Republican activists are trying to use the courts to dismantle decades of progressive victories.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

From the Middle Class Out

02/22/2013 Nativegrl77

ThinkProgress War Room

Creating an Economy That Works for Everyone

For the last thirty years, we’ve been experiencing one long, failed experiment in so-called trickle-down economics. In practice, this means that the rich have gotten richer (exponentially so) while the middle class has fallen further and further behind. Trillions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and corporations, the one goal that binds the GOP together, utterly failed to trickle down, stifled economic growth, and contributed to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

We need a different model — an economy that grows from the middle class out. What does this mean? How does that work? One of our colleagues, Senior Economist Heather Boushey, lays it all out in a new video:

BOTTOM LINE: The wealthy and corporations simply aren’t paying their fair share so in order to reduce our deficit in a smart way and still make investments in the middle class, we need to get rid of hundreds of billions of dollars in wasteful loopholes and giveaways in our tax code.