Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Congress

Congress preps for drama with spending, farm bill, Pentagon policy and election-year bombast
Approved, National, The Washington Times

Congress preps for drama with spending, farm bill, Pentagon policy and election-year bombast

By Lindsey McPherson | The Washington Times Memorial Day for Congress kicked off an election-year summer sprint in which serious legislating usually takes a backseat to partisan messaging bills. The Senate started voting on bills that the Democrats in control there know will fail but want to message on. That started last week with a second failed vote on a border policy bill and will continue next week when Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer plans a vote on a bill to establish a statutory right to contraception. The Republican-led House is more focused on bills it can pass but also wants to score points. House GOP leaders laid out an ambitious plan to pass all 12 annual spending bills in June and July. With what will soon be a two-vote GOP majority, they don’t have much ...
Kittle: All things considered, lawmakers say it’s time to defund NPR
Approved, Commentary, National, The Federalist

Kittle: All things considered, lawmakers say it’s time to defund NPR

By M.D. KITTLE | The Federalist All things considered, National Public Radio represents the left wing of American journalism. Conservatives, of course, have known that for years. It took a veteran NPR editor with an ax to grind and some resurfaced tweets to drive home the point that the “Fresh Air” of public radio stinks with leftist bias.  So the question is: Why is the American taxpayer paying for this Pravda?   Some lawmakers are saying enough is enough.  U.S. Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., is introducing a bill to defund NPR. The bill’s draft, exclusively provided to The Federalist, prohibits federal funds in general from going to the radio network.  READ THE FULL STORY AT THE FEDERALIST
Americans’ email, calls, texts in the crosshairs: Congress takes up fight over feds’ spy powers
Approved, National, The Washington Times

Americans’ email, calls, texts in the crosshairs: Congress takes up fight over feds’ spy powers

By Stephen Dinan and Kerry Picket | The Washington Times National security officials have mounted a full-court press in recent weeks to try to head off major changes to the government’s most important snooping authority, warning Capitol Hill that terrorists will benefit if lawmakers require the FBI to get a warrant before querying Americans’ names in its massive trove of data. FBI Director Christopher A. Wray strove to drive home the dangers to Congress in appearances over the last month, telling them that the kinds of cases where the bureau is using the data — emails, texts, phone calls — to look for Americans’ information are too time-sensitive to wait for a warrant. From stopping terrorist plots to spotting cyberattack victims to derailing the flow of f...
Greene files motion to oust Speaker Johnson after House passes $1.2 trillion spending bill
Approved, National, The Federalist

Greene files motion to oust Speaker Johnson after House passes $1.2 trillion spending bill

By BRIANNA LYMAN | The Federalist Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to oust Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday after the House passed a $1.2 trillion spending bill that includes dozens of left-wing earmarks but no Republican voters’ priorities. Greene urged Johnson not to allow the bill a floor vote, calling it a “complete departure” from the party’s core values. “No Republican in the House of Representatives in good conscience can vote for this bill. It is a complete departure from all of our principles, especially if you call yourself ‘pro-life’,” Green said on the House floor. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE FEDERALIST
Congress Unveils $1.2 Trillion Plan to Avert Shutdown
Approved, National, Newsmax

Congress Unveils $1.2 Trillion Plan to Avert Shutdown

SOURCE: Newsmax Lawmakers introduced a $1.2 trillion spending package Thursday that sets the stage for avoiding a partial government shutdown for several key federal agencies this weekend and allows Congress, nearly six months into the budget year, to complete its work in funding the government through September. Democrats were largely able to swat back scores of policy mandates and some of the steeper budget cuts that House Republicans were seeking to impose on nondefense programs, though House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., highlighted some policy wins, including a nearly 24% increase in detention beds for migrants awaiting their immigration proceedings or removal from the country. This year's spending bills were divided into two packages. The first one cleared Congress two weeks ...
Freedom Caucus votes to remove Rep. Ken Buck days before his effective resignation in Congress
Approved, National, THE HILL

Freedom Caucus votes to remove Rep. Ken Buck days before his effective resignation in Congress

By MYCHAEL SCHNELL | The Hill The House Freedom Caucus voted to remove Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) from the group Tuesday night, three members of the conservative group told The Hill, a dismissal that comes days before he is set to retire from Congress. One of the Freedom Caucus members, who requested anonymity to discuss the internal proceedings, said the group decided to oust Buck because he has not been a member in “good standing” and has not regularly attended meetings of the body “in months.” The source also said Buck — who has frequently broken from his party on various issues — was removed because “he hasn’t been with conservatives on several major issues” and “is leaving the conference hanging with a historically narrow margin.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE HILL...
Mitch McConnell to step down as U.S. Senate Republican Leader in November
Approved, National, THE HILL

Mitch McConnell to step down as U.S. Senate Republican Leader in November

By ALEXANDER BOLTON | The Hill Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is stepping down from his leadership post in November, ending his history-setting tenure as longest-serving Senate party leader. McConnell, who turned 82 this month, announced the decision in a speech on the Senate floor. “One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter. So I stand before you today … to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate,” McConnell announced on the Senate floor shortly after noon Wednesday, catching many of his colleagues by surprise. McConnell said he plans to serve out the remainder of his term, which ends in January 2027, and will continue to work hard leading his conference throug...
It’s official: Amache National Historic Site in Southeast Colorado ensures federal protection for former Japanese American incarceration camp
Approved, Local, National, Southern Colorado, The Colorado Sun

It’s official: Amache National Historic Site in Southeast Colorado ensures federal protection for former Japanese American incarceration camp

By Kevin Simpson | Colorado Sun Nearly two years after legislation designated the site of Colorado’s Granada War Relocation Center — also known as Camp Amache — part of the National Park System, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland on Thursday formally closed the deal that creates Amache National Historic Site, ensuring federal protection for the grounds where more than 10,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. Details surrounding Granada’s official acquisition and donation of the land were recently finalized to clear the way for the National Park Service to assume management of the site, which sits on nearly one square mile just outside of the southeastern Colorado town. Amache opened in 1942 and closed in 1945. It was the smallest of 10 suc...
In April, discounted internet will end for 250,000 low-income households if Congress doesn’t act
Approved, National, The Colorado Sun

In April, discounted internet will end for 250,000 low-income households if Congress doesn’t act

The Affordable Connectivity Program will stop accepting newcomers Feb. 7. Advocates hope Congress will extend funding. By Tamara Chuang | Colorado Sun The federal subsidy to reduce internet bills for nearly 250,000 Colorado households is winding down and funding is set to run out by April. But the first deadline is Wednesday at 10 p.m. when local internet providers must stop accepting new customers. “We will take applications to the very end,” said Brieana Reed-Harmel, broadband manager at Loveland Pulse, the city’s municipal internet service. “They are still trickling in little by little every day.” Loveland Pulse currently has about 500 low-income customers enrolled in the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, or ACP, a $14.2 billion program that launched two years ago to ...